We see you, parents. You are juggling A LOT these days! Between online school, working from home, and dealing with our ever-changing world, we acknowledge that the exhaustion has fully set in.

Many of you are navigating online education and anxiously trying to make sure your child is keeping up. Playdates, extracurricular activities, and sports teams have somewhat vanished and we know parents are scrambling to find new ways to keep their child’s social engagement healthy… in healthy and safe ways!

Well never fear, parents, we have the answer: Story Time Chess online classes! 

Here are 7 reasons why Story Time Chess online classes are the perfect way to enhance your child’s social life!

1. Online classes create a safe, healthy environment for kids to hang out during after-school hours.
It goes without saying that online interactions are the safest options at this moment in time. But we know kids are missing their pals! Enrolling your child in an online chess class allows you to breathe easy knowing your family is staying healthy, both physically and mentally. 

Social interaction with peers is extremely important for your child’s mental and emotional well-being. Children must continue to practice their social skills to gain the wide range of benefits that come from interactions with friends and peers. A Story Time Chess online class allows children to flex those social skills in a fun, safe space.

2. Chess is the perfect way to practice losing with dignity and winning with humility.
Research has shown that losing games is helpful for children because it teaches them to show empathy and cope with the experience of loss. By its nature, chess is a great way for kids to experience the highs and lows of winning and losing alongside their peers.

Without sports teams and other competitive play as an option, a Story Time Chess online group class is a great way to explore healthy competition. Losing a chess game helps children learn from their mistakes and develop empathy for their peers who are in the same situation. Winning helps children understand the importance of hard work and its eventual payoffs!

3. Our tutors are top-notch!
Story Time Chess tutors are more than just teachers: They are chess players, certified storytellers, artists, mentors, creatives, and some of the best humans we know! They truly care about their students’ day-to-day lives and come to class full of questions and games that captivate and stimulate. Our tutors make it a priority to engage all children in the group and help them communicate with one another!

Our classes revolve around what we call “ah-ha!” moments. These are the moments when a Story Time Chess story connects to a discovery within the game of chess. Our tutors are masters of the “ah-ha!” moment and when kids share these fun, engaging discoveries with their peers, it’s the perfect way to learn chess!

4. Sign up for Story Time Chess online classes with pals!
Story Time Chess online classes are small group classes with up to four students. This is a great opportunity for your child and their pals to schedule a weekly activity together! According to Dr. Mitch Prinstein, a mental health professional and UNC professor, the brain reacts to a lack of social interaction in the same way it might experience illness or physical pain. Simply put, kids need to engage in positive social interactions with peers.

From week to week your child will strengthen their chess skills while learning in a community environment with their friends! Story Time Chess offers online classes to both beginner and intermediate chess players, so you can find the perfect class for your child and their friends’ chess needs.

5. A Story Time Chess online class connects your child to other chess players around the country.
Our online classes are filled with children from all over! Learning alongside kids from different parts of the country is a very cool opportunity that this crazy moment in history has given us, and we are fully embracing it.

Chess is a common language and we love the idea of kids from different places learning together. As our tutors engage with each student, your child will learn fun facts about different areas of the country and the kids who live in them. Story Time Chess online classes might even bring back the classic cross-country pen pal tradition!

6. Our class sizes allow for both social interaction and personal attention.
Class size matters, especially in the virtual space. Our online classes are large enough to allow for social engagement and creative play with peers as well as personal, one-on-one attention from your Story Time Chess tutor.

7. Digital learning with peers promotes tech fluency down the road.
Technology is here to stay! Our world will be forever changed by this shift to online learning and digital meetings and children are adjusting at a faster rate than adults. By taking an online chess class together, children are subconsciously learning about the subtlety of text communication and online social cues, tools that will continue to serve them in their professional and adult lives. 

Chess has long had a reputation for stimulating both sides of the brain, making our online classes a wonderful option for your child’s social and intellectual development.

Story Time Chess takes chess education one step further by introducing creative storytelling and silly characters. It’s the perfect way to incorporate chess into your child’s after-school activities and their lives in general. With so many benefits that reach far beyond the game itself, chess is the answer for parents who want to further their child’s education in a fun, creative way!

Sign up for Story Time Chess online lessons today and let the games begin!