0Is your child a passive plodder who needs to be pushed around? Or is he/she a silent observer or perhaps a hyper energy-ball who requires some toning down? At Mind Mentors, we believe that the behavioural patterns of a child are closely associated with his or her mental development. We aim to season and temper the young minds in a magic pot of brain-games, channelising their energies, creativity, and thought-process sensibly and productively.
The interdisciplinary nature of Chess
While chess still reigns supreme in the category of brain-games, recent scientific studies assert the impact of a multifaceted platform of games that could co-exist and contribute towards the holistic development of a child. Chess itself has evolved to be an interdisciplinary game that could benefit a lot from similar and complimentary games like Robotics, Coding or Rubik’s Cube.
The benefits of Juggling games
Juggling different types of games stimulates young brains to respond to a varied pattern of cognitive processing. The adaptive nature of mind games, in general, contributes to skill development in chess. As players get better at a task, the games get more challenging. Challenging one’s brain with this juggling of various inter-related techniques stretches its cognitive functions. Both the right and left parts of the brain is stimulated - utilising the creative element to process the visual patterns and the analytical part to make logical moves.
Chess & Robotics
For instance, when a chess player or a beginner in chess is introduced to the exciting process of building a robot, the child learns to follow instructions and take control. This helps her or him to take control of a game and make a strategic move by following the cues from the opponent. Even for a reclusive and timid chess player, the fun-filled and creative way of robotics helps in exploring the possibilities without feeling intimidated.
Rubik’s Cube
The eye-hand coordination and excellent motor skills which are missing in chess can be filled in by an experience with the Rubik’s Cube. The powers that are applied in manipulating the faces of a Cube are pivotal in spurring up spatial (3 dimensional) imagination and memory. The brain is trained to recognise new possibilities and confront unanticipated challenges which in turn are essential in a game of chess. Also, unlike chess, Rubik’s Cube does not always adhere to rules, thereby giving the player a more comfortable platform for creative exploration.
Coding
Coding, on the other hand, stimulates the logical thinking and reasoning process in chess. The method of assessing, communicating, and conditional thinking that goes in a game of coding strengthens the cognitive thinking necessary in the game of chess. The player gets trained in pattern-recognition and learns to break down complex strategies into simpler processes.
“Every student can learn. Just not on the same day. Or the same way!”
Some children are self-motivators, others need a little prodding. Some are born with higher attention and concentration skills and some need to be trained. Trying one’s hand at a bunch of games helps to stretch mental capabilities in a way that a single match or method may not. You will know what clicks for your child only when you let her/him experiment with various platforms. The intensity of chess, accompanied by more fun and action-oriented games like robotics or coding, makes kids more intuitive, curious and bold. Children learn to win and lose, gaining from the losses and bouncing back. They become more versatile handling hurdles, dealing with options and learning to weigh the consequences of a decision.
