Is there a finer game suited to homeschooling than chess? Maybe. Maybe lots of them. This is about chess though.
You can introduce young kids to chess by researching how castles and kingdoms work. You can introduce things like the power of government and war to older kids more easily by calling on their knowledge of chess.
[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1500140842540{background-color: #cff9f7 !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]SOCIALIZING AND MAKING INTRODUCTIONS: Who can homeschoolers play chess with? Sure there are chess clubs, but what about bringing a chess board anywhere people hang about; parks, libraries, patio cafes, coffee shops, etc. Hold the chess board up and look inquisitively, perhaps raising the eyebrows. Someone will play. (the more advanced in age, the more likely they are to play chess, I think it would be fair to assume.)
Have a game of chess. Whether you understand their language or not.
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Modern day chess is 500 years old.
This informative video goes well before that through several different versions of chess throughout the ages…quite fascinating!
The King is Helpless
The term checkmate is, according to the Barnhart Etymological Dictionary, an alteration of the Persian phrase “shāh māt” (شاه مات) which means, literally, “the King is helpless”.
The Sneaky Priest
The folding chessboard was invented in 1125 by a priest trying to hide his misdeeds. The church banned playing chess. He designed the chessboard to be folded up to look like two books on a shelf so his churchly sins would remain hidden.
Side note: I chose not a folding set, but one that contains the pieces in their own little holder. (I opted for this version so I could quickly see which pieces the kids still needed to put in, as well as having them put away the pieces in the same order they look on the board. (Also, the larger and heavier the pieces are, the less likely kids with small hands are going to knock them over as they learn to move the pieces)
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- Origins of Chess on Chess.com
- Tiki Chess Set, Beginner’s Carving Project
- Teach Kids to Play Chess
- How to Build Your Own Chess Clock
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