A new study has found that children who partake in chess are less afraid to take risks. While mom wants her child to stay safe, no matter how old they are, they also know that children need a certain level of freedom to explore the world on their own. Part of this is taking calculated risks. Taking risks and learning how to do so safely is an important part of child development. It lets children learn from mistakes, and how to make better decisions in the future. Safety can be a large concern with risk-taking in children, and it can lead to children being afraid to take risks.
According to PHYS and ZME Science, playing chess can make children more confident when it comes to taking risks. Chess is not a popular game among children anymore, but this may be the perfect excuse to bring it back.
The research was done in Australia that showed that children who were taught to play chess showed that their aversion to risks lowered one year later. However, it goes even deeper than that. It also showed that children became much better at avoiding a risk that would not likely have a positive outcome. They also went through with risks that were more likely to have a positive outcome.
Every choice in life has risks, but it is about calculating the benefit of the risk, and it looks like chess could help with that. The researchers completed a study with 400 school children from the UK, all 15 and 16 years old. These children had never played chess before, and after they were trained, they were assessed one year later.
When they looked at the results, they found some interesting conclusions. They found that a decrease in risk aversion was only one of the benefits that they gained from playing chess.
They also noticed that these children were better in math and had an improved catalog of logic and rational thinking skills. The researchers stated that the very rules of chess lend themselves to developing these skills.
When someone is playing chess, they have to take calculated risks. They have to assess what is going on in the game and decide if it is a beneficial risk to sacrifice one of their players.
Risks in chess can also lead to a player losing the game, so the lessons are boundless. Chess may seem like a simple game, but it turns out that it holds more benefits than it gets credit for. A bonus is that it can be a great bonding activity for tween and parent.
Sources: ZME Science, PHYS