Looking for a good board game as a holiday gift? Try chess. Oh,
we know what you’re thinking. But before you start ticking off
those board game stereotypes, consider this: studies have shown
that kids who learn to play chess show great improvement in
their academic skills compared with those who don’t play chess.
Jim Dean of Fort Wayne says “it’s a bit of a shame” that chess
is not taught in more schools. Dean is the chess instructor at
Canterbury Schools and teaches chess skills to the lower and
middle school students. He also heads up the school’s chess club
for kindergarten through high school students. The school added
chess as part of its curriculum nine years ago, Dean says. He
says chess teaches kids cognitive skills, reasoning and decision
making, as well as social skills. In addition, it exposes a
child to friendly competition early, and as a result, they learn
“to lose gracefully.” In addition, some children who suffer from
learning problems, such as attention deficit disorder, see
positive changes.