I gave a Simultaneous Exhibition yesterday at the St Petersburg Meineke shop, in their large air conditioned room. I played adults and children, and also signed copies of my book Chess Is Child’s Play – Teaching Techniques that Work! It was a lot of fun. The Tampa Bay Times arrived early on and interviewed me and took many pictures. It was so good to see chess in the news!
Is it possible to teach a child to play chess while he or she is still in diapers? Maybe!
Children can learn chess very early, some as early as two years old. I’ve even heard of instances where a one-year-old could learn to play a full game. The key is to teach them at the correct speed for them. It will vary from child to child, so the educator must be alert to the subtle indicators that a child is ready to continue on.
It is important not to thrust all six pieces into your child’s hands, explaining to him or her how they each move in a few minutes, then show them how to set up a chess board and expect them to play.
It’s too much for any young child to grasp in one sitting. Even older children find chess “boring” if you gloss over the fundamentals.
Instead it is a good idea to break up the lessons, isolating the game into component parts. In Chess Is Child’s Play – Teaching Techniques That Work we suggest that you start with the rook and go over it’s movements in great detail.
Why start with a rook? Honestly when I first began teaching children I started with the pawn. I quickly realized that this was a mistake. The pawn is one of the most complex pieces. Think about it, it moves differently than it takes. I discovered it should be taught last. The rook’s movements are the easiest to grasp, so it is the best piece to start with.
When I broke down all the aspects of a piece’s movements, I discovered there are many baby-steps that can be learned at this phase. It’s much easier to learn these aspects of the game with just one piece on the board.
Why tackle chess at such an early age?
If we all teach children to play chess when they’re four or five, they will be primed for school. Chess teaches children many fundamentals, like problem solving, focus, patience and follow through.
Imagine if every child was equipped with these skills as they entered kindergarten and first grade. Ideally schools would pick up on the trend and include chess in the curriculum. However, even if they didn’t and the children only played at home, he or she would have an advantage over non-chess playing students.
Children are naturally drawn to chess. If they are taught properly (and not rushed through the basics), they can then teach other children (or even adults) to play.
Some parents can be intimidated by the game, because they were taught the rules too quickly. These parents sometimes feel that a child must be a genius in order to pick up chess and play a game. This isn’t the case. The fact is that studies have shown that chess helps children become smarter.
Chess Is Child’s Play teaches the parent to play, while teaching them to teach their child. Even a parent who has never seen a chess set can pick up this book and teach their preschooler. The fact is that they quickly realize they can play and enjoy the game.
Chess Is Child’s Play: Teaching Techniques That Work, is now out and available! You can find it at any major bookstore or on amazon, but if you order through me, I will sign it for you!
As some of you know, I have been working with my partner Bill Kilpatrick on this project for three years. We have been teaching children of all ages, perfecting a system that is easy and fun to apply.
We wrote this book for parents who might be intimidated by the game, so that they can learn to play along with the child. Of course someone who is expert at chess will also benefit from the knowledge, as they will learn how to teach a young child.
When you teach a four-year-old to play it is imperative that you take a baby-step approach, defining all the terms along the way. We lay this all out for any parent to use!
We employ a “mini-game” strategy that is a lot of fun. Younger and older children enjoy playing these mini-games, and it strengthens their play, as they can focus on certain aspects.
Chess Is Child’s Play has been out for only a month and the reviews are pouring in! Here are a few:
“Your book transformed me. For 41 years I was afraid to learn chess, and in reading and learning from your book, I was able to teach myself AND my 5-year old son. We play all the time, our brains are working and I am proud to finally understand this refined and incredible game. THANK YOU for your incredibly accessible, fun, and super-practical instruction.”
“An excellent book for teaching children of any age how to play chess. You may even adapt it to teach adults. Don’t know how to play chess? Use this book to teach yourself. Each chapter of the book is a clearly explained lesson. The illustrations are crisp and the pages have plenty of white space, which makes it easy to follow the instructions. The lessons make learning chess fun. You follow the learner’s pace. Each chapter ends with tips on how to deal with problems learners may have with the lesson. With this book in hand, adults can approach teaching children chess with confidence.”
“My son, Danel, is 40 months old. He already knew the name of the pieces, but I didn’t know how to continue teaching him. Today I’ve started teaching him with the help of your book. We’ve started with Chapter 4. I was very happy, because he could do all the games and exercises. I tried to continue with the rook, and, incredibly, he was very concentrated, and happy, and he wanted more and more. We only did 2-3 exercises of the Rook, but he could move them perfectly and we played some of the games. I couldn’t believe. He said that he wanted to play another day.”
When you order Chess Is Child’s Play, please do write to me and tell me how the lessons are going. I want to know!
After years of research, Bill Kilpatrick and I are proud to announce the release of our book, Chess Is Child’s Play (available April 16th, 2012)! Please check out this book today on amazon. They are still running a pre-release special of 41%.
Chess Is Child’s Play teaches any parent, of any skill level, to teach their child, of any age, to play chess. Children aged four and up can benefit from these lesson. We also have exercises for two- and three-year-olds!
Chess is one of the oldest strategy games known to man. Studies show that children who learn chess at an early age gain such valuable life skills as:
Chess makes children smarter. Give your child an advantage in life and teach him or her to play today!
I ghostwrote a book this year called Joshua’s Missing Peace. My client Lori Suthar kindly offered to give me a ghostwriting credit on the cover, so this will technically be my first author credit. I’ve written many books, but prior to this I was, well, a ghost!
When Lori approached me about her story, I was immediately interested. I am very passionate about the subject and feel this book will save lives.
Here is a brief synopsis:
When math whiz Joshua began behaving bizarrely at the age of four, his parents pursued help from the medical community. As is typical, Joshua was shuffled off to a psychiatrist who prescribed heavy medication. Both parents, being holistic in nature, were horrified by the changes in their brilliant son. His behavior worsened, as did his ability to do simple exercises in school.
As Joshua’s symptoms increased so did the medication. Their loveable son was turning into a psychotic stranger before their eyes.
Frightened and frustrated, his parents researched solutions, finally putting together the missing puzzle pieces, discovering the true nature of Joshua’s mysterious illness. He had a severe, but treatable, version of Strep throat, called PANDAS.
Driven to help other families avoid the needless suffering they endured, his mother, Lori Suthar, chronicles the details of their son’s two-year nightmare in Joshua’s Missing Peace. Her unique humor is laced throughout the book, as she shares this inspiring story with her readers.
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If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, please email me. The cost will be $18.95 plus $3.99 for shipping.
Chess is Child’s Play is a book written by parents, for parents. It is written for YOU!
Chess is one of the oldest strategy games known to man. Studies show that children who learn chess at an early age gain such valuable life skills as:
We have created an easy, step-by-step method for teaching chess that parents of all skill levels can use to teach children of any age.
You don’t have to know how to play in order to use the system in this book. This book will teach you the game, while showing you how to teach your child to play. You will learn together.
Please visit the site on Amazon and receive a special 41% off on pre-orders.
Chess Is Child’s Play will be released this April!
We recently got a hold of a giant chess set and the students LOVE it! In fact, I think we may have gotten a few new students because of it. 
Dan and I decided to have a Giant Chess Board Day at Delphi this Wednesday for our students. Children will be able to take turns playing on the life-sized chess board.
I must say that when I introduced the giant set to the class three weeks ago, I was amazed by their enthusiasm. During one class four boys formed two teams of two players to play. They walked the board in between moves, squatting down to gain a new perspective on the position.
I never considered how these angles might help a player, but it does provide a unique viewpoint.
When I tried to get them to come in and play with the indoor sets they all pouted. Then they complained for the rest of the session that the normal sets were “way too small.”
I’m looking forward to Giant Chess Board Day!!
After years of having people “just find me,” I decided it was time to get a website designed. Thanks for Connect Up Marketing, I now have a new site!
Please visit me at LauraSherman.com and let me know what you think!
Do you like my owl? 
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I’m pleased that our youtube video is still going strong. People seem to enjoy watching it:
Last week I started teaching my 2 year old to play chess. She has been watching her older brother and sister (aged 7 and 4) play for some time and was ready for her first lesson.
We started by discussing the pieces and their names. Two pieces a day is what I suggest at this level. End when they still want more!
Serena did very well. I was impressed. Her big sister came over and helped out at one point. She liked playing the game of passing pieces back and forth, calling out their names.
Next step will be to introduce the board!
