Can Chess Help Kids Make Better Decisions in Life?

Teaching kids how to make better decisions in life is a goal of every parent. Yet it often seems to be one of the hardest skills to teach. 

Giving kids safe risks combined with the right type of guidance is a delicate balance. It requires setting up the right circumstances. 

When parents discuss finding ways to encourage better decision-making in their children, the game of chess often comes up. 

This is because playing chess promotes the development of these skills by addressing the following areas that impact the choices a kid makes in life.

Develop the Mindset That Luck is Not Everything

Kids are naturally drawn to magical thinking. Parents often hear them exclaim how someone was “lucky” when they pulled off a major achievement. 

While there is an element of luck in many games, chess is not among them. Playing chess demands strategic thinking to place oneself in a position of advantage. As your son or daughter learns to play chess, they also gain an appreciation of the potential to control their own destiny through common sense. Working with their coach and other chess players also lets kids discover that strategic thinking is something that is learned. It is not just something that lucky people are born with in life.

Learn to Identify Positive Choices

Chess lessons often focus on helping kids recognize which strategies will help to improve their positions. True even when they are faced with two undesirable or equal moves. This concept can also be applied to life. 

Kids learn how to weigh their options when faced with two choices that carry the same weight. For example, a child may wish to attend their friend’s birthday party that happens at the same time as their sports practice. Both options may appear equal on the surface. Applying what they have learned in chess encourages your child to consider which choice will take them closer to reaching their goals.

Hone Critical Analytical Skills

Critical thinking requires kids to take what they have seen work in the past and combine it with present circumstances to determine probable outcomes. Chess lessons at summer camp give them a chance to observe the time-tested strategies used by both professional and beginner players. 

Then, they get to test out their theories on new strategies they think will work. Since there is always another chance to play a new game, kids are more willing to take risks that strengthen their deductive reasoning. When faced with tough decisions outside of the chess arena, they can apply these same analytical skills with greater confidence that they are making the right decisions.

Learning to play chess changes kids. Parents find that attending lessons pays off in more than just academic benefits. From strengthening their self-confidence to teaching them how to effectively analyze a situation, chess lessons address all the areas a kid needs to be able to make better life decisions.  

To maximize this effect, as your son or daughter makes choices that affect his or her life, simply stay involved in their lessons. Help them find ways to implement the skills they are learning.

Let your kids enjoy chess games at Maplewood Summer Day Camp. Experienced staff will keep your child both safe and busy with arts and crafts, games, water sports, gymnastics and more. Visit the site at http://maplewoodyearround.com/summer-camp/summer-camp-activities/  to see the fun your child will have at Maplewood Summer Day Camp.

 

The Benefits of Chess for Kids

The ancient game of chess is finding a new generation of fans in kids as young as five, and intent little players can be found in the classroom, in after-school programs and at summer day camp picnic tables. The motto of the U.S. Chess Federation is “Chess Makes You Smart” and a growing body of evidence is showing that the game improves youngsters’ problem solving skills as well as writing and math test scores. The only “luck” in chess is executing a clever strategy yourself or having your opponent make a bad move, so hard work and good “if/then” thinking is critical. Even kids in day camp will settle down in the shade on a hot day for a fine battle on the chess board.

The Perfect Age

Although kids as young as kindergarten can tackle chess, second and third grades are considered ideal for learning how to weigh options, figure out quadrants and coordinates and foresee the series of consequences that make up the game of chess. At this age critical thinking skills are advancing rapidly. Playing chess and being “smart” are considered connected, a big lure for elementary school students.

History of the Game

Chess was invented more than 1500 years ago in India, possibly as a way to teach the children of the royal family to better understand battlefield strategies and become higher level thinkers. The game we play today, however, is rooted in the middle ages, peopled by romantic figures like kings, queens and bishops. Since that time, chess has spread around the world, outliving nearly every other game and receiving countless endorsements and accolades from educators. A universal game with worldwide rule consistency, chess crosses all socio-economic, religious and language barriers to bond diverse people in a game of limitless skill and strategy.

Increases Concentration and Memory

In order to play chess well, you have to focus intensely on the objective of capturing your opponent’s king, visualizing the moves of various pieces, the board itself and any potential countermoves. Spatial reasoning, attention span and visual memory all play into this timeless game of strategy, and kids who play vastly improve in these areas by memorizing classic moves and successful maneuvers from previous games.

Boost to Reading and Math Skills

Kids who play chess tend to score higher on standardized reading and math tests. The game itself involves intense problem solving and memorization of complex moves, so it’s not surprising that the game boosts math skills. It also nurtures the same skill set as reading: decoding, comprehension, thinking and analysis.

Improves Critical Thinking and Creativity

The game of chess involves a lot of “if-then” thinking as players visualize possible moves and associated countermoves. Each player needs to figure out not only what moves they want to make, but what their opponents may do in response, utilizing lots of imagination and creativity. Originality grows as kids learn to visualize a long series of moves, imagining all possible counterattacks.

Social Benefits

One of the great benefits of chess is that it can bring together people of all ages, races and genders. From kindergartners to octogenarians, chess helps build friendships among people who may not have otherwise become acquainted.

Builds Patience and Self-Restraint

A game of chess is a lesson in caution, patience and eternal hope even in the face of overwhelming odds. Hasty moves or following your first impulse are poor strategies, and the cautious, thoughtful player has a better chance of success. Much like the game of life, chess teaches us that no matter how bad things seem, there’s hope right up to the end. As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Maybe he enjoyed the occasional game of chess!

Encourages Hard Work

To win at chess, you have to think hard, work hard, focus, practice and plan strategies, all activities that reward hard work. The harder you work at the game, learning classic moves, memorizing maneuvers that worked in previous games, keeping watch over the whole chess board and planning ahead, the more likely you are to say “check mate”!

Let your kids enjoy the experience of summer day camp at Maplewood Summer Day Camp. Experienced staff will keep your child both safe and busy with arts and crafts, games, water sports, gymnastics and more. Visit the site at http://www.maplewoodyearround.com to see the fun your child will have at Maplewood Summer Day Camp.