Hey, parents! We know everyone is looking for the best bang for their buck when it comes to the activities we choose for our families!

But did you know that playing Story Time Chess can lead to a plethora of unexpected benefits? Check out the 8 surprising benefits of playing Story Time Chess!

1. Mistakes are where the magic happens. 

Does anyone enjoy making the wrong move? No way! Even for adults, this can feel frustrating, upsetting, and can lead to a sense of failure. But chess encourages learning from your mistakes in a healthy and positive way.

During a game of chess, mistakes and wrong moves are inevitable. But it's all part of playing the game! Taking the time to acknowledge your move and notice what might have worked better helps you make a stronger choice next time. Chess encourages self-reflection, and we see that as a significant part of the learning process.

No one wins their first few chess games. The sooner young chess players understand that losing a game helps you win down the road, the sooner they can learn to jump in and enjoy the ride!

Chess is a game of strategy, patience, intelligence, and acquired skills. During a chess game, it is imperative to chat with your child about their moves and why they chose the move they did. Analyzing their chess moves helps even the youngest player make a better move in a future game!

Our stories enforce the importance of making mistakes and allowing yourself to learn from them. I think we can all agree that this skill goes far beyond the chessboard!

2. Flex those social skills. 

Chess is naturally designed to be played in pairs and is a great way to help your child interact with their peers! Playing a game of chess takes the pressure off of engaging socially. During a game, the conversation will flow naturally as your child and their opponent practice and listen to our silly chess stories.

Playing chess is a beautiful way to make new friends and find a home in different social circles. Mastering chess at an early age will lead to other engaging social opportunities such as after-school chess clubs, chess tournaments, and game nights with pals!

3. Grow baby, grow. 

Did you know that chess stimulates physical brain growth? Wild, right? The mental dexterity chess requires stimulates the growth of dendrites, the structures that send out signals from the brain's neuron cells. The development of dendrites strengthens and speeds up brain communication.

By playing a game of Story Time Chess, you are fostering healthy brain growth for your children and yourself! The more challenging the game, the stronger your child's brain becomes! Ready to take their game to the next level? Check out our Level 2 expansion for more chess stories covering board analysis, strategy, opening moves, planning, and castling!

4. Slow down and take a breath.

As much as we may wish for it, Story Time Chess has no backspace button! We must make a move and deal with the consequences of our actions, even if it leads us to a lost game or two. 

The reminder that there is no going back in a chess game encourages children to slow down and think long and hard before making their move. We encourage our students to take the time to explore all possible move options and evaluate any dangers even before putting their hand on the chess piece! 

Getting in the habit of pausing to take a breath before making a move is a skill that is transferable to many areas of life! 

5. Kindness is king.

Are you looking for ways to incorporate kindness lessons into your child's daily life? Look no further than the chessboard!

Win or lose; we always end a Story Time chess match with a “good game” handshake. We encourage our students to act out of kindness and display good sportsmanship throughout a chess game.

Our stories teach children how to be good sports and show empathy while enforcing the value behind these practices. Our cast of characters helps children understand that they control their actions even when they are upset about losing!

Sportsmanship is something that should be practiced throughout childhood. The more children play chess, the more comfortable they feel with the sensations of losing, winning, and interacting with others during these emotional moments. Story Time Chess helps children understand that winning isn't everything, which is a massive bonus of playing chess! 

6. Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. 

Did you know that playing regular games of chess enhances reading skills? In his 1996 study, educational psychologist Stuart Margulies discovered that students who played chess regularly scored an average of 10 percentage points higher on reading tests than their non-chess-playing peers. Throughout a game, visualization and imagination techniques are strengthened as players think through possible chess moves and combos. These skills go hand in hand with reading improvement and help your child foster excellent reading habits!

Story Time Chess takes this one step further with our engaging storybook! Through our lessons, children gain a love of reading and naturally form an association between reading for pleasure and learning a new skill!

7. We could all use a little boost!

This year has been incredibly stressful for many children. The loss of safety, school, stability, and the freedom to socialize has left many kids struggling to find their footing again. Anxiety in children is on the rise, and families are looking for new outlets to cope with this unexpected side effect of pandemic life.

Chess is an ideal way to cope with negative thoughts and reduce anxiety in both children and adults. Taking the time to relax into a chess game and learn a new skill is a healthy distraction from daily stress.

Chess has been used to battle depression in children and adults and is found in different forms of therapy. Playing Story Time Chess as a family or with a group of pals is a wonderful way to foster joy in your child's life and engage their brain in new ways. Imagine how stimulating this will be in a group setting with their peers!

8. The family who plays together stays together. 

Want to get your older children involved? Pop out the custom character chess pieces and flip your Story Time Chessboard over to the standard side for a more mature game of chess! Playing chess with your teens has multiple benefits as well! 

Chess encourages the growth of the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for self-control, judgment, and planning ahead. This brain section is actually the last to develop, often not reaching maturity until age 25! Including your teenage children in a game of chess will help them become better decision-makers, critical thinkers, and problem solvers. Plus, a game of Story Time Chess is the perfect activity for family game night!

Ready to start your Story Time Chess adventure? Check out our engaging stories, magical products, and online classes!