Extra Ed: My 6 year old’s experience taking chess as a beginner!

03/02/2024

My 6 year old, Sadie, is a busy one! From swimming to piano lessons, she is enrolled in an extracurricular activity almost every day of the week. Not only are they fun, but as a mom of 2 I like knowing that my kids will be occupied after school as opposed to just sitting at home and watching tv. 

I was so excited to learn about Extra Ed when I was looking at the After4 program schedule at Sadie’s school. As an approved vendor with Toronto District School Board, not only are these in-school extracurricular activities convenient, Extra Ed programs are carefully developed by educators and subject experts. This gives me peace of mind knowing that Sadie will be in good hands once school has been dismissed for the day. I always give her the choice to choose what she wants to do and the club Sadie was interested in this winter was Chess. As much as I would love to teach her the game, I myself could use a few lessons! The sign-up process was so easy… just a simple registration form with her school profile, online payment and Sadie was registered!

I really didn’t know what to expect since I am no chess expert but over the course of the session, Sadie has learned so much! Coming in with zero chess playing experience, she has learned all of the piece names and she now understands how to move them in order to play the game. She loves her instructors who give her guidance in a way that she says is easy to understand. As a chess newbie, I was worried that she might be intimidated playing against classmates with more experience; however, the Extra Ed instructors have given Sadie the confidence to play and pick up new skills. I have found that by learning the game of chess she is also learning skills of focus and patience as well as respect and sportsmanship. Definitely a great use of time after school!

We only have a few weeks left before heading into March break which means that the after school clubs will wrap up too. I will definitely look out for Extra Ed classes on the next schedule as it has been such a great experience!! They offer such an amazing variety of classes and if not chess again, I know that Sadie will be excited to try something new!

Take a look at Extra Ed’s website and head to their login page to see if they offer any of their exceptional programs at your child’s school https://extraed.ca/login/