Happy New Year! It’s 2023, and we know many of you are already hard at work accomplishing your New Year’s resolutions.

The tradition of starting the new year with self-improvement in mind actually dates back over 4000 years to ancient Babylon. Just like our forebears, we’re still resolving to behave better, achieve more, and stay mentally and physically healthy.

More quality time with family is one of the most common and, in our opinion, worthwhile New Year’s resolutions. This year, let Story Time Chess help you achieve the togetherness you’re looking for. After all, the family that plays together stays together.

With that in mind, here are five ways to boost family chess time and celebrate 2023 on the chessboard all year long!

1. Play Two to Three Times a Week
The best way for any chess player to improve is regular practice, but it’s especially important for kids and beginners to get all the reps they can. The more confident your kids are on the chessboard, the more they’ll look forward to family game time.

The best way to do it: Set aside one evening or afternoon for a structured lesson from one of our award-winning chess storybooks, then pick another day for free play. Even on your less-structured days, you don’t have to play a full game every time you sit down. Story Time Chess is packed with fun, simple mini-games designed to reinforce individual skills and tactics. Pick one and play it a few times!

2. Reward Yourselves With Free Games and Stories!
When it comes to keeping New Year’s resolutions, rewards are the key to success. Whether you’re setting an exercise goal or resolving to spend more time with your family, a satisfying reward can mean the difference between meeting and missing your goals.

That’s where our free stories and mini-games come in! We release bonus content that you can’t find in our published materials throughout the year. Email subscribers will see them first, but you can always go back and find them in our blog feed, too. 

These super fun freebies usually coincide with holidays, but you never know when the next one’s going to drop. As you move through 2023, keep an eye on your inbox or dive into our blog for seasonal and holiday-themed bonus stories and mini-games to keep your family chess time fresh and exciting.

3. Measure Your Progress With Expansion Packs
Another powerful tool for keeping resolutions is progress tracking, and we have just the thing: our Level 2 and Level 3 bundles! Built on the foundation laid by Story Time Chess: The Game, these next-level expansion packs feature 9 all-new illustrated chapters and 27 mini-games each, giving your kiddos room to grow and progress.

In the Level 2 Strategy Bundle, children learn important concepts like castling, openings, pawn promotion, and game planning. Our Level 3 Tactics Bundle takes your child’s chess skills a step further, with a focus on middlegame scenarios and piece point values that help them make the right choices throughout the game.

4. Reinforce Good Habits With Story Time Learning LIVE
A 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that it takes about two months for new behaviors to become habitual, which means that all the good chess habits we instill in our students won’t stick unless they’re regularly reinforced.

That’s where expert-led video lessons from Story Time Learning LIVE come in! For a modest monthly or annual subscription fee, your kids can experience all the magic of Story Time Chess (Levels 1, 2, and 3) right on your tablet, phone, computer, or smart TV.

While you’re prepping dinner or working from home, your kids can boost their skills, review important lessons, get moving with physical “Chessercises,” and rewatch their favorite stories with the click of a button. But watch out: They may just pick up a few extra tricks that could tip the scales in their favor the next time you play together!

5. Learn All Year Long With Workbooks
Setting and accomplishing “mini-goals” is one of the best ways to improve at anything and helps give structure to the longer journey toward self-improvement. When it comes to building chess skills and keeping that progress alive, Story Time Chess workbooks offer an excellent way for kids to gain confidence, have fun, and improve all year long.

With a unique coloring book, phonics-focused activity book, and chess puzzle book, the Level 1 Workbook Bundle, Level 2 Strategy Bundle, and Level 3 Tactics Bundle offer a kid-directed learning experience that will boost chess acumen and make family game time even more exciting and rewarding.

Get the most out of 2023 and embrace chess as a reliable mainstay of family fun time all year long. Head to storytimechess.com to check out all the amazing learning tools we offer and let the games begin!