How to Teach Chess to Kids

Several elements make our online Academy program a fun way to learn chess:

• Lessons and Quizzes: We reinforce lesson concepts using the interactive quiz feature of our online classroom. Kids love the challenge of quizzes, and our coaches can give hints and extra attempts to those who need help.
  

• Excitement and Enthusiasm: Chess club should never feel like a boring lecture. That’s why our expert coaches bring energy, enthusiasm, and engagement to every lesson!
  

• Practice Games: What's the best way to improve in chess and have fun at the same time? Playing games! All of our chess classes include game time. We also have optional practice tournaments every week.
  

• Bonus Lessons: We offer several weekly bonus lessons that make learning chess even more fun. These optional lessons, such as Tactics Tuesday and Book Club, are perfect for kids who want more chess.

Try a $5 trial class and see how we make chess fun, engaging and instructive at the same time!

Patience Matters When Teaching Kids Chess

At Silver Knights Chess Academy, our teaching philosophy is rooted in patience. Having taught over 100,000 kids worldwide, we understand that every child learns at their own pace. That's why a patient approach is one of our utmost priorities when working with your child.

Mistakes are nothing but learning opportunities. If your child makes a mistake, our expert coaches turn it into a teaching moment and reinforce the relevant concepts as many times as necessary. 

We believe in constant reinforcement; our chess coaches make it a priority to repeat concepts/topics whenever needed to ensure every child has a thorough understanding.

Encourage Questions and Curiosity in Chess Lessons

A great chess teacher should answer each and every question with kindness, clarity, and patience.

The easiest way to make chess learning efficient and effective? Ask lots of questions!

Questions are essential to learning, and our expert coaches ensure they answer all of them, no matter how simple or how many times the question has been asked already. We encourage your child to ask questions wherever they feel the need to, even outside of class time. Curiosity never sleeps!

• Our chess coaches actively ask your child, "Any questions?" throughout each lesson to make sure your child understands the material.
  

• Our chess coaches welcome repetition of questions or requests for further explanation. There are no silly questions. 

Adapt When Needed During Chess Lessons

Not every lesson clicks immediately, and that’s okay. If a concept fails to engage your child, our coaches will adapt their approach to keep them engaged and learning.

Our chess teachers are attentive to signs that kids might be losing focus and are trained to shift gears by making small adjustments: 

• Introducing a new example or analogy to approach the concept in a different way
  

• Breaking the topic down into smaller chunks to offer better clarity
  

• Shifting the topic to a different but related one before circling back
  

• Temporarily changing the topic to something more fun
  

• Using interactive exercises to re-engage attention

By staying flexible and open-minded, our coaches ensure that your child has fun in every class, even if the subject matter is challenging.

Let Your Child Play Chess and Experiment 

One of the most effective ways to help your child improve at chess? Let them play!

Playing practice chess games and reviewing them afterward is one of the core pillars of real improvement. It’s even more effective when your child learns with us. Why? Because right after the games, our expert coaches go over the key moments in real time. This helps your child understand what went well and what could be improved.

That’s why every weekly semi-private lesson at our online Academy program includes both practice games and game analysis. It’s one of the main ways we’ve helped students from across the world learn and grow with chess, and have fun while doing it.

During these sessions, our coaches encourage your child to try new strategies, openings, and ideas. Why is that important? Because experimenting helps your child discover:

• What works for them

• What doesn't 

• What to implement in their actual, real rated games

When kids are free to play, test, and explore, they learn faster. They also enjoy the process much more!

Still curious? Let your child see for themself how easy it is to learn new and important skills in chess. Try a $5 trial class and watch your child light up with excitement and knowledge!

Model Good Sportsmanship

Silver Knights' online Academy program is designed to help your child have fun, learn, and develop the skills needed to improve, no matter their age or level. Not only do our weekly lessons focus on skill-building, we also nurture your child’s overall growth by modeling good sportsmanship throughout our program.

During our chess classes, any signs of unsportsmanlike behavior are addressed right away. The coach explains what happened, why it wasn’t appropriate, and how to handle the situation the right way.

For example, in our tournament preparation classes, coaches focus on small but important details that make a big difference in both chess and life. These include:

• Always shaking hands with your opponent, regardless of the result

• Not letting the result affect how you treat your opponent or others around you

• Never distracting your opponent, and speaking to a tournament director if something unfair happens

Conclusion

Your child deserves the best chess education, with lessons that are fun, engaging, and effective. A great coach will help your child fall in love with chess while steadily improving their play, and each of our expert coaches works towards those goals by providing a positive, exciting environment where kids thrive.

Ready to give your child access to this fantastic learning experience? Join our Online Chess Academy Program

Want to see how it works first? No problem. Try a $5 trial lesson and see how we teach chess the Silver Knights way!