You don't need to be a chess player to help your child. These three mini-games take ten minutes and one board.
You don't need to know chess to practise with your child. These mini-games use only a few pieces and are perfect for little ones.
1. Pawn wars
Set up only the pawns, eight each, on their starting rows. Take turns moving pawns forward and capturing diagonally. The first player to get a pawn to the other side wins.
Why it works: children learn how pawns move and capture, and start to think about which pawn to push.
2. Knight hop
Put a knight in one corner and a coin on a square across the board. How many hops does the knight need to reach the coin? Try again with a new square.
Why it works: the knight's L-shaped move is the trickiest to learn. This makes it a puzzle instead of a rule.
3. Guess my move
Play a few moves of a normal game. Before each of your moves, ask your child to guess where you will go and why.
Why it works: it turns the game into a conversation about plans, the habit coaches build every Saturday.
Keep it short and fun
Ten minutes a few times a week beats one long session. Stop while your child still wants to play.
When they're ready for more, our Saturday program starts children from age 3.
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