Chess

This past week I pulled out my old chess board from the back of the closet and sat down with my 6 year old and taught her how to play chess.  When you're talking about strategy and developing critical thinking skills, you can't beat chess.  Chess is nothing but strategy and critical thinking!

I wasn't sure how she'd like the game, but she loves it!  She's asked several times to play (and we have) since that first day.  Granted, she's not very good, but she's only 6 and has just started playing.  What I've done thus far is to play a couple of games where I help her along and then we play a game where I tell her that I'm not going to say anything about her moves.  For these games she's completely in charge of making her own moves.  During these games I don't let up on her either.  I play to win.  Again, I win, and win early, but this is only 1 game out of every 3 or 4.  The other games I help her with her moves and point out different moves she can make and the potential consequences of those moves.  So far so good!  

I was probably a year or two older when I first started playing chess, but she's at an age where she can begin to learn the game.  Plus it's a blast teaching her a game that I played as a kid!