Empowering young minds through a game of mini chess
As children play, they learn to solve problems, socialise and learn to develop the fine and gross motor skills needed to learn. What better way to contribute towards children's academic learning as well as social development than through a mini game of chess.
POLOKWANE – Play is critical to healthy brain development and growth.
As children play, they learn to solve problems, socialise and learn to develop the fine and gross motor skills needed to learn. What better way to contribute towards children’s academic learning as well as social development than through a mini game of chess. According to Miarisa van der Merwe, founder and CEO of MiniChess (Pty) Ltd the mind sport is a“Skills development-through-play” program, focusing on foundation learning (5/6 to 9 year-old).
“The MiniChess program was developed over years of teaching chess to “entry phase” learners (gr.1/R to gr.3, i.e. 5/6 to 9 years of age) as part of the school curriculum, and also extra-curricular. This award-winning learning-through-play program develops critical skills for the 21st century through creative, complex and dynamic real-life activities. It has proven results at many schools in SA and 8 African Countries, while piloting in the USA and Australia,” she explained.
Apart from learning about the game of chess in general, learners also also afforded an opportunity to enhance their mathematics skills and knowledge.
Melissa outlined the benefits of learning through play using chess:
The program uses education-innovative methods for teaching little ones, including the use of so-called “MiniChess®” games. The learning process is broken down into small steps, building confidence while keeping it fun, and is in line with the skills-level of the young child at that specific age. Skills- development focusses on critical thinking skills (problem-solving, forward-planning, decision-making, strategic thinking, risk-negotiation, etc), Socio-emotional skills (resilience, impulse control, empathy, etc) as well as STEM-skills. The program consists of 4 levels (grade1/R, grade2 and grade3), each grade accommodating the continual development of skills and capacity as the child grows. The program continually links chess-concepts with maths-, science- and life skills.
For more information see info@minichess.co.za or www.minichess.co.za
