How Does Chess Support the Mental Development of Kids?

Did you know that chess is one of the most popular games in the world? India alone has a whopping total of 33,000 rated players, and the country is home to 75 Grandmasters and 124 International Grandmasters. It’s a competitive sport that many kids still play today— a fun and educational pastime that may also help relieve any probable stress from the pressures of performing well in some of the top CBSE schools in Coimbatore.

And, of course, chess is also known as an incredibly stimulating and enriching game for the mind. Here are just a few benefits of encouraging your child to play chess:

·        Better creativity and critical thinking

Many parents encourage their children to play chess because of the game’s effects on the brain. It is often associated with high IQ. Studies show that kids who play chess have achieved higher IQ scores after at least four months of instruction.

Even if you don’t know how to play the game, you can see from its rules that it is effective at teaching problem-solving skills. Chess helps kids recognise challenges and face them head-on, easily finding solutions under pressure.

But chess is not all about logic. In fact, the game can also foster your child’s creativity. For example, research shows that chess drastically improves a player’s spatial reasoning abilities— a skill necessary for visualising objects in space and manipulating them mentally.

·        Enhanced maths and reading skills

Chess doesn’t involve numbers outright, like Sudoku, or words and letters, like Scrabble or crossword puzzles. So, you might be surprised to find out that the game is effective at improving a player’s mathematics and reading skills.

How is this possible? Chess is a game about variables and strategy. As a result, it teaches the player to plan and explore all the possible outcomes of a solution, encouraging your child to think carefully and wisely.

In addition, the game of chess is associated with cognitive processes like decoding, thinking, comprehension, and analysis. These skills are also essential for reading, thereby enhancing your child’s ability to read and understand a body of text.

·        Improved concentration and memory

The brain is a muscle. And just like every other muscle in your body, it requires regular exercise and stimulation to function properly. Of course, it would be impossible to exercise your brain physically, so playing games like chess is the best way to keep it healthy.

Another benefit to exercising your muscles is disease prevention. For example, walking, biking, and other aerobic activities help minimise the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart conditions, and cancer.

In the case of your brain, regular mental exercise can prevent Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. This is because chess develops brain functioning, helping the muscle grow dendrites in both the left and right hemispheres.

For parents, the real challenge of chess isn’t the game itself but the process of teaching their children to love it. So what are some ways to start your kids off with chess?

·        Find a balance between work and play. If your child is a student at a CBSE school in Coimbatore, coming home to a chess lesson will only make them feel tired and unmotivated. So, consider hiring a chess instructor on weekends and limit playtime to a few hours a week.

·        Encourage independence. Children are more likely to enjoy activities they choose themselves, whether joining a sports team at their school or playing chess. So if they show interest in the game, avoid placing too much pressure on them—instead, let them discover new tactics and figure out strategies in their free time.

·        Take advantage of online resources. Kids these days are lucky to have the world’s information at their fingertips, so make sure you utilise these resources wisely. For instance, you can visit websites like Chess.com or watch tutorial videos on YouTube.

 

Does your child show promise in mastering chess? Top schools in Coimbatore with CBSE offer excellent chess programmes for talented kids! You can encourage your little ones to join a club and play with their friends, honing their skills outside your home.