If someone told you about a way to improve your child’s math and English skills, develop their logical reasoning and critical thinking, work on their social skills and learn good sportsmanship – for free – would you think there was a catch?
There’s not. It’s called the Kids’ Chess Club, and it’s free. And fun.
The Bob Prittie (Metrotown) branch of Burnaby Public Library hosts free chess sessions on Saturdays, running until March 9. The sessions are open to kids aged six to 12, and games are facilitated by Curtis Lister of the Burnaby Junior Chess Club.
Parents of children under 10 are asked to remain in the program room for the sessions, which run from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
The chess club also offers classes for a variety of ages and ability levels, and the club’s website points out a host of benefits that young players get from chess – including all of the above-mentioned skills and a long list more, from intellectual maturity and increased self-esteem to pattern recognition, learning from their mistakes and cultural enrichment. The club’s website says that all children – those who are gifted and those who may struggle in school – will benefit from the challenges of chess.
See www.burnabychessclub.com for more on the group, and see www.bpl.bc.ca/events for more on library sessions.
