Six Reasons to Spend Your Summer with Story Time Chess!
The weather is warmer, the days are longer and there is a sense of joy in the air. Summer is here!
This year has been one of the most challenging and uncertain to date, and we know everyone is looking forward to kicking back and enjoying some relaxing fun in the sun this season!
The change in weather signifies a great deal these days. We, as a community, have made it through another milestone of this tumultuous time. Children and parents have survived a year of remote and socially distanced school, hoping that things will look more normal come fall.
Warmer months mean the return of safe outdoor activities and the ability to breathe easier as we spend more time with friends and loved ones.
But we know that some of you may be feeling less than stellar about summer break. While we don’t yet know the long-term educational consequences of the past year, we do know that many parents are anxious about the prospect of their children falling behind.
For many teachers and parents, summer is considered a time of educational regression. While vacations offer a much-needed respite from the pressurized schedule of academics, even a one-week spring break can have a measurable negative impact on a child’s mental vitality.=
Summer vacation is typically 10-12 weeks, more than enough time to impact your child’s education significantly. This information, paired with the anxiety that children have fallen behind this past year, is leaving many parents in a panic!
But before you rush out and buy a desk, a math book, and freshly sharpened pencils, let’s remember that you don’t have to simulate the classroom to make learning during the summer a viable option. Learning doesn’t mean burying your child’s head, or yours, in a textbook!
Summer is an excellent time for you and your child to explore alternative learning styles, new hobbies, and creative classes!
Story Time Chess is the ideal way to keep your child engaged and stimulated during the summer months.
Here are six reasons to spend your summer with Story Time Chess!
- Skip the “summer slide.”
We all love a slide but let’s limit them to the pool and playground, shall we? Introduced in a comprehensive study in 1996, the concept of the “summer slide” showed that kids lose significant aptitude in both math and reading during a break from school. This educational backsliding tends to snowball throughout education, leading to subsequent skill loss year after year. A more recent study showed that students lost about 27% of their school year gains in math and 20% in reading from third to fifth grade.
But don’t let these studies scare you! Enrolling your child in just one educational activity a week can combat the summer slide!
Chess has proven benefits for children in both math and reading. Students who play chess score an average of 6.4 points higher on math tests and 10 percentage points higher on reading tests.
Chess leads to higher retention skills, swifter problem solving, and calmness under pressure. Chess also encourages players to be inventive and creative, and to embrace new ideas and concepts.
When children play chess, they strengthen their math skills by calculating the next move and adding up piece values throughout the game. Chess improves reading skills by strengthening a child’s focus and their ability to stay committed to a particular thought process for extended periods.
- Let’s get physical!
Summer is the perfect time for a burst of physical activity! Between swimming, sports, and outdoor games, the warmer months and longer days encourage plenty of opportunities for exercise.
But don’t forget about your brain! Regular games of chess improve brain function, memory, and help children stay sharp! The mathematician Blaise Pascal famously said, “Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.” We couldn’t agree more!
A game of Story Time Chess is the perfect way to balance your child’s summer physical activities with a bit of mental exercise!
- Break free from the chains.
Creativity is at the very heart of what we do. Story Time Chess transforms each chess piece into a memorable character using storytelling and creative play! Our stories revolve around fun characters with quirky qualities that help children understand how the pieces move and why.
Summer is the ideal time to let your child’s creativity and imagination run wild! We fully embrace that!
Story Time Chess games encourage creative movement, art, singing, and more, as our students learn to play and love the game of chess.
“Chessercises” encourage your child to physically move like the chess character they are learning about. By incorporating action into your child’s learning, the lessons become more sticky and their retention rate goes up! You may find your whole family dancing like the knights or moving one step at a time like King Chomper!
Our collection of colorful activity workbooks are filled with creative and engaging exercises that focus on writing, spelling, rhyming, and more! It’s the perfect tool for reinforcing our story-based curriculum.
- Take the road less traveled.
We all understand the importance of traditional learning throughout the school year. The classroom provides not only academic opportunities but life and social lessons as well.
But let’s not underestimate the importance of taking a break and switching up your child’s learning style when possible!
Story Time Chess takes traditional learning and flips it on its head, helping children understand why a chess piece moves a certain way. Summer is a fantastic time for your child to experience this out-of-the-box style of learning!
Nontraditional learning can reinvigorate your child’s thirst for knowledge and help them understand that learning can be fun and joyous!
- The more, the merrier!
Story Time Chess is the ideal activity to share with pals! Playing chess with friends encourages healthy exploration of competitive behavior and sportsmanship. Our lessons provide a safe space to encounter and process the feelings that coincide with winning or losing a game.
Story Time Chess encourages these life lessons with fun, engaging stories that explore those topics, plus so much more!
- Keep it small, keep it safe.
The world is starting to feel safer every day, but we know many of you are still wary of extensive group activities.
Hosting a weekly chess game in your home or backyard is a great way to incorporate routine learning for your child and their peers into your summer schedule. A neighborhood tournament would be a fantastic end-of-summer celebration!
Keep your child engaged and learning in nontraditional ways with Story Time Chess! We wish you all a healthy, happy, and chess-filled summer!