Chess is a game of strategy and precision, with every move as important as the last. While that may sound serious, chess is also a lot of fun! Though chess is often thought of as a game played by older adults, it’s actually gaining popularity among children. Many parents enroll their children in chess classes because of the life lessons it teaches like problem-solving, focus and patience. You might be wondering...how young can you begin teaching your child chess? As it turns out, the younger the better! I. f you're looking for more reasons to try out a chess class, check out the five other benefits we put together.
1. Improves test taking skills
According to studies like this one students who play chess scored around 10 percentage points higher on reading tests than their classmates who don’t play chess. When it comes to reading comprehension and mathematics, chess flexes important muscles that foster development in those areas of academia.
2. Chess challenges both sides of your child’s brain
We have two sides to our brains. The “left” is the creative part while the “right” is the analytical side (as an adult, do you ever feel like both sides are taking a nap? Maybe that’s just when we’re binge watching Selling Sunset). Anyways! When your kids play chess, it encourages them to use both sides of their brains by making decisions based on the visual cues they see on the board using creativity, logic, and reasoning. This comes in handy in developing brain activity and sharpening their minds.
Chess teaches children to think “outside of the box”, but also in a rational way when needed, which helps in more effective decision making and also fosters an open mind.
3.Your child learns to plan ahead
Your child will be using a lot of brain power to play chess. Learning to think not just about the next move — but the one after that too — teaches children to think ahead about all of the possible choices they could make. This teaches children to think from other people’s perspectives and that every move has a consequence. These skills translate to life lessons such as the ability to learn from mistakes and make informed decisions when it comes to choices that involve risk. Chess also teaches children how to learn from their mistakes and to take responsibility for them. It’s about making good decisions, not just in the game but in life.
4. Chess teaches the importance of losing gracefully
Chess isn’t just a game of logic and strategy, it’s about manners and sportsmanship. As parents, we’ve no doubt experienced the embarrassment of our children throwing a temper tantrum because they didn’t win a game. It’s a natural part of parenting.
While winning is important to boosting confidence, the ability to accept a loss also teaches humility. Teaching these lessons can be a complicated balance for parents sometimes. Fortunately, playing chess can help with this. The game requires silence for players to concentrate, so loud outbursts aren’t tolerated (this goes for parents too — that’s right, we know you yelled at the ref during your child’s last soccer game!)
5. Chess is about keeping calm under pressure
Concentration is key in the game of chess. With time limits and the stress of making critical decisions, the game can be intense. While learning to play this game, your children will learn how to remain calm under stress. These skills will help them in life as they get older in school, and down the road in their careers! That must be why they say that “chess is life”.
