As COVID-19 grounded us for months, one of the games that thrived and beat the odds would be chess! Chess enthusiasts happily teleported to the web enjoying the game online. Parents too gratefully let the restless kids explore the net and encouraged online chess coaching. If children need to play online, what better game than chess? Their mind, brain, and body would stay engaged for a few hours; that too, in a disciplined way. Online chess is a good bargain.
It might take a few more months to get your kids off the online hook. Or maybe more. However, as long as they are on it, it is important that parents guide them safely through the invisible potholes of online gaming and help them play it right!
Here are a few reminders to guide your kids safely through the ethics and etiquettes of playing or learning chess online.
Parental Supervision - Safe gaming online
We all know how much safety matters when children go online. Be it learning or gaming, one must be wary of the wafer-thin boundaries on the internet that kids could cross unaware of. Even when Chess looks less risky compared to the sea of video games or chat rooms on the internet, it isn’t devoid of dangers. Some common online safety measures apply to chess players as well.
When you let your kids enjoy chess online and help them improve their skills, it is also important to tighten the safety net around them. Always make sure your child’s personal details are not at risk. Teach them to be alert and not to use personal details on unfamiliar websites or with strangers on the net. Train them to hide personal information, such as name, location, details about parents and school etc. Encourage them to share their online experiences with you and open up about any unusual incidents or inquisitive strangers online.
Parental supervision is primary and mandatory with online learning or gaming. Even with online chess opponents, children shall not share personal photos or messages. Some professional chess websites have child-safety features. You can disable chats. Nevertheless, parental monitoring is important for your kids to enjoy healthy gaming online.
Choosing the right website
As much as it is necessary to play safe online, it is important to play at the right sites as well!
It is important to choose a website that is safe, authentic and professional. If you search for online chess coaching, you will end up with hundreds of similar websites on Google. But what they are offering and what you intend to provide for your child must align.
You may be looking for sites that would help your child go through some simple basics and have more fun playing the game, rather than committed learning. Or perhaps you are considering serious coaching with the entire focus on mastery of the game. Either ways, you need to make sure the professional websites that you choose suit your requirements.
An engaging website will trigger interest in young children to learn more and explore better online. Websites with interesting videos, interactive tools, chat boxes (with supervision), etc will attract kids and also sustain them longer through the learning process.
Choosing the right coaching
While choosing websites or online coaching for chess, many may not think too deep about the instructor - or the human factor! But choosing the right coach online for your kid is as vital as it is in real-world classrooms.
Chess isn’t child’s play! Your child will need an experienced instructor who can take him/her through every nuance and technique of the game with patience and understanding. Talents flourish under careful and encouraging hands. You will require a good coach who could inspire in your child the love for the game.
A good trainer always focuses on the overall development of the trainee. If you are looking for online chess coaching that teaches the craft to your child simultaneously focusing on the development of cognitive thinking, then Mind Mentorz fits your bill. True to our motto, we mentor young minds, moulding them into better individuals with stronger personalities and cognitive capabilities.
Fair Play – Instilling healthy attitudes
For kids, the thrill of a game lies in winning. Though matured chess players know better, children tend to be hooked on to the “triumph factor” more than learning itself or the fun of playing. Especially, when online games count on your win-points, kids do get carried away by the joy of defeating others and being victorious.
In online games, and chess especially, players do cheat to increase their ratings. It is important, as part of online ethics as well as character-building to teach your kids fair-play. They must understand the true essence of the game rather than enjoy piling up ‘points’ online.
Often many authentic chess websites employ cheating-detection techniques to discourage the tendency. You may make your child understand the consequences and how his or her account could be penalized or even banned upon cheating. Teach and encourage them to have ethics and integrity while playing and how that would mould them better as skilled players in real-world scenarios.
Help your kids enjoy their chess online
Though children might initially enjoy playing chess for the sense of victory, as they learn more about the techniques they will soon love the game for what it is. It is essential to encourage them and give them the right perception.
Chess is a highly analytical game that stirs and builds the cognitive capabilities of young brains. Children as young as 3 or 4 yrs are capable of picking up chess lessons. Hence as a parent, encourage your child to explore and enjoy the game.
The benefits of helping your child learn chess are immense. It improves their attention span, focus and concentration and the reasoning skill ability in kids. Chess also boosts the problem-solving skills in children. So encourage them to learn the game the right way, with the right spirit and attitude. It will not only make them matured and focused players who love the game for its sake but also mould them into better individuals with better values and ethics.