I’m a brand-new 3rd grade teacher (22F), and I’ve found that teaching chess to children with suspected ADHD, autism, or OCD has been a huge success in helping them learn and apply those skills in real-world situations. As a class, we’ve been getti...
I’m a brand-new 3rd grade teacher (22F), and I’ve found that teaching chess to children with suspected ADHD, autism, or OCD has been a huge success in helping them learn and apply those skills in real-world situations. As a class, we’ve been getting our work done earlier, which gives us some free time at the end of the day. Since it’s so hot in the Southern U.S., we often have indoor recess. I have one student who I strongly suspect has ADHD—she struggles to pay attention, talks constantly, and needs something to fidget with. She was bored during indoor recess, so I taught her how to play chess. She immediately loved it and described it as “a puzzle you can move.” I started playing with her regularly during indoor recess, and soon other students wanted to join in, so I taught them as well. It’s become quite a trend—students are now buying their own chessboards and bringing them to class. Since then, I’ve noticed that after we play chess as a class, students who are usually distracted are more focused and are applying stronger problem-solving skills. I’ve also introduced other problem-solving games into our routine, and overall student success has continued to improve. I’m so happy because I feel like I’ve found a way to support students with learning difficulties. I’ve even added 10 minutes of “chess time” at the start of each day while we listen to classical music. Chess is truly making a difference for these kids. submitted by /u/beatoffqueen [link] [comments]