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CHESS SCHEME TO KEEP NAUGHTY KIDS CHECK

Chess scheme for Kids

Thursday January 24,2008

By David Scott

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RESEARCHERS looking at ways to improve children’s behaviour are calling on local authorities to teach wayward youths how to play chess.

The potential alternative to an Asbo was discovered by Aberdeen University staff who found that children who play the board game become mentally sharper and are better behaved than those who don’t.

“The big question is why this is happening,” said Dod Forrest, an honorary research fellow at Aberdeen University’s School of Education.

“We looked at reading skills before the children played chess and afterwards, and it improves significantly, but we don’t fully understand it. The social aspect could be just as important as the development of the cognitive process chess playing demands.

“Playing in tournaments leads to travelling about a bit and getting involved in a wider section of society, building contacts and confidence and leading to a broader understanding of what’s going on locally.” The year-long study involved children from two primary schools in Aberdeen where free school meals are the norm.

We looked at reading skills before the children played chess and afterwards, and it improves significantly

Dod Forrest

It was found that disruptive pupils would volunteer to help in after-school chess classes, and that spilled over into improved behaviour in other classes.

“We noticed that being interested and enthusiastic about chess led to a welcome modification in behaviour elsewhere,” said Mr Forrest.

“Chess ignited an interest in them and in some cases they taught their parents and brothers and sisters how to play. To get right into chess can take a bit of study and it helps numeracy and literacy as well.

“The chess-playing group tended to join the library and undertook more voluntary study than those who didn’t play.

“Chess in schools should be implemented across the country as soon as possible. The benefits are just too good to ignore. We’ve got hundreds of kids involved in Aberdeen, but that should be hundreds of thousands across the country.”

Yesterday, the Scottish Daily Express revealed that children as young as four could be electronically tagged to curb the youth crime epidemic sweeping the country.