Creating a child prodigy through chess

Learning chess yourself or teaching your child chess might be the start to making smart moves in your life.
There are currently copious amounts of literature on the benefits of chess not just for adults, but for children as well. Recognised as one of the most ancient sports, it is no wonder extensive research has gone into it.
Many claims have been made on the benefits of playing chess, such as the improvement of mathematical skills. According to an article in the Early Child Development and Care Journal, published online in February 2013, of four studies done through different schools, one school claimed an improvement in the performance in maths, which can be directly correlated to the learners paying more attention in class. The four studies that were chosen as a focus in the article focused on children from age zero to eight years old.
In the literature, researchers also directly link playing chess to an increase in creativity, thinking capabilities and enhanced concentration levels.
In an article in the journal Young Children, published in 2000, a kindergartner teacher went as far as playing chess with her class by gradually introducing the game to the learners. Her methodology included deliberately placing her chess pieces in a position of vulnerability and grooming the children to pick up the mistake to the moment where she could sit back and watch the game in front of her as the six-year-old she was playing with confidently completed the game with her.
According to local sport psychologist, Dr Lourens Van Wyk, the success of mind-stimulating games of all sorts usually depends on the level of enjoyment experienced by a child.
He did, however, confirm the various benefits chess provides to its players. “Chess triggers so many functions in your brain,” he said. Although not an expert in the field himself, he alluded to the various studies that have proven the positive impacts of chess on the developing brain of a child.
To see a lasting result from playing chess, it has to be done on a regular basis and not just once a week.
“You need a great variety of activities that should occur regularly,” said Van Wyk on the issue of all mental strategies and games like chess.
If chess does not interest your child, then there is always a good game of any type of sport and outdoor activity. According to Van Wyk, the key to getting a child interested in sport is to not tire them out but to make it fun and exciting.
He said that in doing so, “you increase the capability of your child’s brain to grow and develop,” the latter which is a term called brain plasticity, something any sport can stimulate.