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School media centers, despite their reputation for being places of quiet study, are now becoming centers for tinkering, coding, and even playing. Game-based learning leverages games to engage students in skill acquisition, thought processing, and creative problem-solving. Experts assert that play is essential to learning and development, which makes playing an important life skill.

“We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!” – George Bernard Shaw

School media centers are often the chosen location for chess programs, as they offer a free meeting space with supervision and safety. Game-based learning can excite the younger generation, as well as offer media centers a chance to infuse students with lifelong library skills.

The game of chess introduces math, vocabulary, and social-emotional concepts for kids – all within the fun context of learning a “game.”

Benefits of Chess in School Media Centers

Playing chess is proven to help students enhance their creativity, improve their power of concentration, develop and expand critical thinking skills, boost memory and retention, and achieve superior academic performance.

Playing in chess clubs also has extra benefits such as providing cultural enrichment, advancing intellectual maturity, and enhancing self-esteem.

Here are some reasons why schools are adding chess play into their media centers:

• Chess provides engaging ways for students to practice skills relating to classroom learning targets, including STEM, math, and spatial skills.
• Playing board games can support social-emotional learning. Collaborative or competitive, there are social lessons learned from playing chess.
• Regular chess clubs keep students coming into the media center and will increase positive and fun engagement.

ChessKid Program Aims to Help Start Chess Clubs

While a school may want to engage in teaching chess, we understand that many school libraries are in need of chess equipment before they can start a chess program. ChessKid wants to help you set up a chess club!

ChessKid is announcing a Library Chess Club initiative aimed at helping to introduce chess to local students. We are bundling a chess club starter kit that includes the following:

• 5 chess boards & pieces (sets)
• A “How the Pieces Move” poster

Carey Fan, CEO of ChessKid said, “ChessKid is proud to help support the start-up of chess clubs in libraries. Starting a scholastic chess club has many advantages for kids, schools, and the larger chess community. Kids learn from each other, and having others at the same skill level can build enthusiasm for playing.”

Free ChessKid Gold Membership

ChessKid is also giving each media center 5 free gold membership accounts to allow their kids access to our lessons, videos, and games for free.

ChessKid is the #1 scholastic chess site for kids and is 100% safe and ad-free.

If you are interested, please fill out the form below (US and Canada only):

https://go.chesskid.com/AASL

ChessKid’s Free Resources for Media Specialists

Our goal is to help promote the growth of chess in schools, and providing resources as a jumpstart for your program today is the least we can do.

• ChessKid offers a video tutorial series with step-by-step instructions on how to set up your Club or Classroom and use the many features available to you.
• Use our 30-week Classroom Planner guide to teaching chess. Each week’s unit contains a suggested lesson time, educational objectives, introduction video, lesson, classroom materials, and extra activity suggestions.
• We offer the world’s first chess curriculum vertically aligned to develop 21st-century skills. This completely free curriculum is the only one of its kind and is designed for use by educators both within the traditional classroom environment (it includes classroom exercises) as well as by professional chess coaches in after-school clubs/programs.

ChessKid will work with Media Center Specialists to set up their over-the-board chess clubs for kids using our starter kit. Plus, we will send you handy resources such as our new ebook which outlines all the steps necessary to set up and promote a successful school chess club.

We look forward to working with you!

Author: ChessKid

Categories: Blog Topics