Is Chess Good For Kids？

Why is Chess Good For Kids？

Chess improves critical and creative thinking

To play chess is to have to think carefully about your strategy as you move the various pieces around the board, carefully considering all possible moves and techniques. Therefore, it’s no wonder that chess can greatly improve your critical thinking and creative thinking skills. Having the mental fortitude and flexibility to play chess well is no small feat! In fact, students who play chess regularly have been shown to test 13 percent higher in critical thinking and 35 percent higher in creative thinking than their peers who don’t play chess at all.

Chess improves academic performance

Despite the fact that chess doesn’t involve much reading or math, it builds the skills necessary to excel with things like quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, and logical thinking, which can greatly improve academic performance. In fact, students who play chess score on average 4.3 points higher than their peers on state reading assessments, and 6.4 points higher in math assessments. Chess has been shown to improve student’s academic performance across all subject areas, including science, history, and art. The skills that chess can teach are versatile, and can be applied to whatever subject or field a child studies.

Chess is good for kid’s concentration and memory

Having to visualize and memorize potential chess moves is great practice for the parts of the mind that focus on maintaining concentration and both short and long term memory. Nothing motivates a child to learn and focus more than having fun, and when winning or losing a game with their friend is on the line, it suddenly becomes very motivating to focus intensely, improving their concentration skills.

Chess gets their eyes off of screens

While screen time in moderation is just fine, it’s no secret that kids today spend an intense amount of time in front of a screen, often much more than what’s healthy. Having hobbies like chess is a great way to help get kids away from screens for a time and give their eyes and minds a break from the lights. An overabundance of screen time can damage a child’s sight, attention span, and emotional regulation, so giving them a nice game of chess can help keep those problems away and get them involved in something more healthy for them.

Chess rewards hard work

Nothing encourages a child to develop a strong work ethic like a game that rewards their engagement, effort, and persistence. Chess offers immediate feedback and rewards for a good performance. It provides children with a huge incentive to put in plenty of effort and focus as hard as they can. Having practice at an early age with this kind of work ethic sticks with a child throughout adolescence and adulthood!

Chess is good for preventing mental decline

While your child may not be in any special danger of mental decline anytime soon while they’re still young, an added benefit for adults playing with their children is that it preserves your mind into old age. Playing chess regularly can greatly reduce the risk of conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia, anxiety, depression, and a host of other mental illnesses and disorders. Consistently practicing something so cognitively challenging keeps your neurons in tip top shape and keeps your mind healthy!

Chess encourages connection with others

Many of the social activities that children participate in today don’t involve a lot of connection with one another, such as playing video games together online. However, chess is a fantastic way to engage in healthy competitive play, practice good communication skills, and build healthy friendships. Chess is also a hobby with a strong community around it, in which players can participate in tournaments, clubs, and camps, providing lots of opportunity for your child to meet like-minded people and share in a passion together, forming lifelong friendships and healthy social skills.

Chess is a great way to bond with your kids

As children get older, finding ways to bond and connect with them as a parent can sometimes be a challenge. Finding a shared hobby or interest to bond over can help bridge some of the divide that naturally forms between parents and children. Having a special hobby like chess that centers around just the two of you can be a great way to form a lasting friendship with your child that stretches into adulthood.

Chess is an extraordinary game. There’s a reason why it’s still culturally relevant after centuries and centuries! By giving your child the opportunity to learn about chess and play with you and with their friends, you are not only giving them a new hobby or activity but also a chance to grow their mind, strengthen their character, and develop new friendships and connections.