Thirty minutes of soroban a week that changes how your child sees numbers
Pibbly visits early learning centres, kindergartens and schools across Brisbane and South East Queensland. Your child joins their weekly session during the day, in a room they already know, with children they already play with, in a small group of up to 8.
Is Pibbly at your centre?
Pibbly runs inside early learning services, so your child’s centre needs to be on board first.
If they already are, enrol below. If they are not, tell us where your child goes and we will talk to them. That conversation goes much better when a parent has asked.
Pibbly visits centres across Brisbane every week, and travels to the surrounding councils and both coasts by arrangement.
What happens in a soroban session?
About thirty unhurried minutes for ages 3 to 5, forty-five for age 6. Short, playful and calm, in four parts, the same shape every week so children know what is coming.
- 1
A warm welcome
Children gather on the mat for a calm, familiar start: a hello song and a quick look at today's pebble or bead idea.
- 2
Counting play and stories
Songs, movement and a short number story warm everyone up, so maths arrives wrapped in play rather than pressure.
- 3
Hands-on bead time
Each child explores their own child-friendly soroban, sliding beads, building quantities, noticing patterns, celebrating small wins.
- 4
A little ripple home
A simple take-home play prompt lets families carry the wonder into the week. No worksheets, just a moment of number play.
Groups are up to 8 children, so every child gets time with the teacher and their own soroban.
What do soroban classes in Brisbane cost?
$20 a session for ages 3 to 5, $25 for age 6, everything included. Booked in blocks of four, paid upfront. This keeps learning consistent and gives children time to build confidence through repeated, playful practice.
Ages 3 to 5
30-minute sessions
$80
per 4-session block
$20 per session
Age 6
45-minute sessions
$100
per 4-session block
$25 per session
Who will be teaching my child?
Every session is run in person by Karin Jordaan. There is no roster of contractors, and no session is delivered by anyone else.
- Qualified Early Childhood Teacher
- Registered teacher
- Secondary mathematics teacher
- Abacus sensei, Kyu Level 8
- Current Blue Card
QCT registration 941640, which anyone can check on the Queensland College of Teachers register.
What is included with enrolment?
Your first block includes everything your child needs to begin: kit they keep, plus their weekly session.
- Pibbly bag
- Child-friendly soroban/abacus
- Pibbly shirt
- Workbook/learning portfolio
- Weekly play-based session
- Take-home family play prompts
How do children progress?
All children begin with Workbook 1 and move through the Pibbly workbooks at their own pace. Some children may move quickly, while others may need more time to feel confident. This is normal. Pibbly is designed to follow each child’s readiness, not rush them.
Payments are made directly to Pibbly. Centres provide the space and session arrangement, but parent enrolments and payments are managed through Pibbly.
A child who finds it easy keeps moving rather than waiting for a class, and a child who needs longer is not left behind by one. Being ahead in counting does not always mean a child understands quantity, and the soroban tends to reveal that quickly either way.
What will my child actually be able to do?
It goes from a bead, to a number, to a habit of mind.
In the first term
Most children can find any number from zero to nine on the soroban without counting the beads one by one. They see it.
By the end of Book One
They can read a number on the soroban, build a number they have been given, and recognise which of two numbers is larger.
By school
They arrive with the thing teachers say they wish more children had. Not memorised sums. A feel for what numbers actually are.
Children move at their own pace. This is a direction of travel, not a timetable.
What does a parent need to do?
Less than most weekly activities ask. This is the whole list.
No drop-off and no driving
The session runs during the centre day, in a room your child already knows. Parents do not usually attend and there is nowhere to be at 4pm.
No prior numbers
A child does not need to know any numbers before starting. Some begin with counting and recognition, others are ready for adding and taking away, and the session meets each child where they are.
No homework
Children may bring home a simple play prompt, a little practice ripple. There are no worksheets, no timers and nothing that has to be handed back.
Tell us if something changes
Let Pibbly know at least 24 hours before a session where you can, whether your child is unwell or you need a different time. Make-up sessions are arranged where availability allows.
How is Pibbly different from other abacus programmes?
Most abacus programmes are franchised mental-arithmetic courses. They are built around speed and calculation, they run at a separate venue you drive to, and they are aimed at school-age children even where the advertised age floor is lower.
Pibbly is play-based early numeracy. It runs inside your child’s own centre during the day, in a group of up to 8 children they already play with. It does not teach mental arithmetic, it does not run competitions, and there is no timer anywhere in the programme. The goal is that a young child can see what a number is, not that they can add quickly.
Pibbly is also not a franchise. It is one small Brisbane business and every session is delivered in person by its founder, which is why the service area is Brisbane and the surrounding councils rather than the whole country.
What happens if my child misses a session?
Pibbly sessions are booked in 4-session blocks and paid upfront. We understand that little ones get sick and family schedules can change. If your child misses a session, you may request a make-up session where availability allows. Please request changes at least 24 hours before your scheduled session whenever possible. Missed sessions are not refunded, but we will do our best to help your child catch up through a suitable make-up session.
In short: booked in 4-session blocks, paid upfront. Missed sessions are not refunded, but make-up sessions may be arranged where availability allows.