Benefits Of Teaching Kids To Play Chess
The game of chess requires honing your concentration skills
Chess is a game of patience because it can be long and involved so if a person has the attention span of a gnat then this is the perfect game for building their concentration skills. Their brain is going to get a workout.
This fascinating board game will help with problem solving skills and situations
So if I move my rook here what are the consequences? How can I get to the ultimate goal of checkmate? What is my opponent trying to do, what is their strategy?
Chess playing will help develop their memory system
First out of the gate there are all the moves of the various chess pieces to remember, and then there are the opening moves, the middle game and finally the endgame.
Playing chess involves the entire brain – not just left side right side stuff.
Our brains and especially the brain of a developing child needs to be used to its full capacity, a person who becomes lazy and not creative will find the right side of the brain becomes lazy as well. Playing chess engages the entire brain, it has no choice, either that or surrender your chessmen on the battle field.
To play chess you need to be able to think ahead and plan this helps develop those skills
Chess involves thinking several moves ahead and knowing the outcome of these moves. Also if I do this and my opponent does that then these are the results.
Chess promotes thinking strategically and developing tactics
The board game develops the ability to use tactics and strategic planning, it is mandatory because the player on the other side of the board is going to be using these skills and the one with the best set of skills often wins.
Playing chess may help with reading skills
Since the entire brain is used when playing the board game chess it stands to reason that children would improve their reading skills as well. In fact a study conducted proved that elementary children that played chess had better reading skills than non players.
Chess promotes creativity
Again with the entire brain thing again (sounding like a stuck record) improving creativity comes from engaging our entire brain and using our imagination, not just one side or the other.
Chess is methodical therefore requires critical thinking
When your child is engaged in a game of chess they are thinking on their own, they have no choice that is the rules of the game. They are not going to be able to Google their next move or consult someone, they are on their own, and chess is critical thinking 101.
The board game of chess may increase your child’s brain power
As the entire brain is used for processing thoughts, strategy and discipline it is also growing in terms of brain power. It is like a bodybuilder who uses weights to pump up their muscles, chess pumps up the kid’s brain muscle, okay that was not too scientific now was it? After all it is still a game!
Chess may teach children life skills and life lessons
If your child is going to play chess then they are going to win some games and lose some games either way they need to learn the life lesson of coping with winning or losing. Nobody likes a sore loser but even worse somebody that boast about their winning. Doing a little victory dance and spiking a bishop is not a good life skill.
The game of chess teaches discipline
Oh those dreaded words “discipline your child” sounds harsh but hey how about teaching them discipline via chess because it will require it. There is no obtaining checkmate by being willy-nilly all over the chess board it requires a disciplined game.
