Playing chess is a pastime that gives your child a lot of good. Do you want your little one to delve into this subject? We prepared a short guide from which you will learn how to make this difficult art easier for him and how to make the rules of the game clear to him. Here are our tips!
Before we move on to how to teach your child to play chess, it’s worth checking out why it’s even worth doing. What are the benefits of this type of skill at a young age? It turns out that playing chess is not only a great entertainment and an interesting way to spend free time. It is also an activity which contributes to better development of a child.
With each subsequent game, the child learns to think logically, analyze and predict, as well as improve arithmetic skills and cause-and-effect thinking. Moreover, it significantly improves concentration, especially under time pressure and competition. All this can prove useful on a daily basis, in dealing with peers, and even in achieving better results at school – especially in math.
It is not difficult to see how much good it does a child to play chess. Therefore, it remains to learn this art. How? Everything is described below. Remember, however, not to focus solely on the development of the child, because it may turn out that it will cause him to lose his enthusiasm for the game. In addition, we must match these methods not only to the age of the child, but also to his or her personality.
Chess really has a lot of rules and possibilities for moving figures, so there is no need to rush into learning. A child can master the basics at home, on the simplest playing set, even if the parent is not a seasoned player. However, it should be done slowly and gradually – bombarding him with all the information at once may discourage the child.
In the case of older children, it may be tempting to install an application which supports learning to play chess, playing online and solving chess tasks in primers.
Another option is to enroll your little player in group classes. Here, look for small groups and experienced coaches who will be able to balance time between fun and real play. Learning chess in a group introduces an element of healthy competition and allows you to meet other children with similar interests, spend time with their peers. Moreover, this type of classes are available not only in schools or community centers, but also in an increasing number of kindergartens. What is important, chess can be taught from the age of four.
In a situation where we fear the lack of an individual approach to a player, our child does not feel confident in a group, or significantly differs in level, the best solution is direct classes with a coach. Their level is then matched to a particular child, his skills and pace of work.
As we all know, practice makes perfect and there is nothing stopping you from using all these methods and after some time deciding which form works best. One thing is certain – it is really worth teaching your child to play chess.
main photo: unsplash.com/Randy Fath
