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Local Voices

Novato's Lynwood Elementary School LEAP's for Youth Chess

Novato Chess Club (HYA) announces the beginning of our enrichment chess program today, October 2. 
Thank you site coordinator, Beth Bates-Stokes and Principal, Rick Van Adelsburg. HYA affiliation with Lynwood Elementary School, and L.E.A.P. are now in its fourth year at Lynwood. 

L.E.A.P. is an afterschool enrichment program, that allows students the opportunity to get help with homework, take music lessons, work in the school's garden, learn to cook, and many other activities. 
We operate our chess club Wednesday (2:15-3:15) and Friday (3:15-4:15) and (4:45-5:45).

Why Offer Chess in Schools?   What are the Academic Benefits? Does chess improve academic performance?
Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating. If they don’t watch what is happening, they can’t respond to it, no matter how smart they are.

Visualizing – Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of actions before it happens. We actually strengthen the ability to visualize by training them to shift the pieces in their mind, first one, then several moves ahead.

Thinking Ahead – Children are taught to think first, then act. We teach them to ask themselves “If I do this, what might happen then, and how can I respond?” Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness.

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Weighing Options – Children are taught that they don’t have to do the first thing that pops into their mind. They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.

Analyzing Concretely – Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences. Does this sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse.

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Thinking Abstractly – Children are taught to step back periodically from details and consider the bigger picture. They also learn to take patterns used in one context and apply them to different, but related situations.

Planning – Children are taught to develop longer range goals and take steps toward bringing them about. They are also taught of the need to reevaluate their plans as new developments change the situation.

Juggling Multiple Considerations Simultaneously - Children are encouraged not to become overly absorbed in any one consideration, but to try to weigh various factors all at once.


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