Since the sixth century, the game of chess has been keeping players engaged, their minds active, and their skills sharp. Chess imparts lessons to players of all ages, but children especially can glean valuable insights about life and learning. Below, the learning center at FasTracKids/JEI Learning Center in Brooklyn, New York, discusses three lessons chess can teach kids.

3 Lessons Children Can Learn From Chess

1. Consider Your Strategy

Chess is all about strategy. You have to consider every move carefully, you have to devise a game plan, and you have to learn the flexibility and last-minute decision-making necessary to revising that game plan as circumstances evolve. These are all excellent life lessons, but they are also excellent lessons about learning. Considering strategy helps a student plan, think about their options, and remain open and flexible when it comes to new ideas.

2. Be a Competitor

In chess, it's up to you and you alone to be a champion. But before you can win, you have to be in the game as a strong and assured competitor. This spirit of competition can serve kids well in the academic arena as well. A sense of competition is healthy and can impel a student to further their studies, to do their best on homework and testing, and to maintain consistently high grades.

3. Recognize Patterns

Whether a chess player wins or loses a game, they will, over time, begin to recognize patterns, styles, and rhythms that lead to those outcomes. Students, too, can open new doors when they start to see patterns; subjects like math and science depend upon specific patterns of thought. When a student can identify a certain pattern in an academic subject, they are unlocking the key to a mystery.

If you're looking to enhance your child's academic experience, enroll them in chess class at FasTracKids/JEI Learning Center. FasTracKids offers a variety of STEM-based learning options for younger students, while JEI Learning Center provides older children math, English, and reading/writing help. Call the learning center at (347) 987-4450 to sign up for chess class or to explore any of the academic offerings on schedule; you can also reach them online or through Facebook and Twitter.