By National Master Ernest Colding

Teach Your Toddler to Play Chess — Part 4

By Ernest Colding, National Chess Master  |  Chess for Children, Brooklyn, New York

Part of our free course: Teach Your Toddler to Play Chess — teaching children as young as 2 years of age.

Welcome to Part 4

In this lesson, we are going to introduce your toddler to the chessboard — the magical kingdom where all the chess pieces live and move.

One of the most important principles I have learned in over 40 years of teaching chess to children is this: never assume that a young child already knows something. Starting from scratch does two things — it shows you the skills they have, and reveals the skills they still need to develop.

This lesson will test and build your child's proficiency in five key areas: language, shapes, colors, counting, and patterns.

Goals for This Lesson

By the end of this lesson your child will be able to:

• Identify colors and distinguish light from dark
• Recognize and name basic shapes
• Understand and follow a pattern
• Recognize straight and diagonal lines on the chessboard

The Points System — Keep Them Motivated

Before we begin the activities, let's talk about motivation.

Setting up a points system is one of the most powerful things you can do when teaching young children. Every time your child conquers a milestone, give them points and praise. Don't be stingy — celebrating small wins builds the self-esteem that makes children want to keep going.

You can download printable point tokens from our PDF file, or create your own. Tell your child that reaching a certain point total earns a reward — but keep the reward small and simple. Children are motivated by the challenge itself. A sticker, a high-five, or an extra bedtime story is plenty.

A Word About Patience

Always remember: you are dealing with little ones.

You cannot force a toddler to learn on your timetable. They will learn only on their terms. Your job is to make the process fun for both of you. If they are not getting something, don't make it a big deal — because it isn't. Keep it light, keep it playful, and the learning will come.

Teaching the chessboard will be very rewarding — but only if it never feels like a chore for you or your child.

Part 1: Shapes and Colors

The chessboard is made up of 64 squares — alternating light and dark. Before a child can navigate the board, they need to understand this pattern. Here is the simple idea to introduce first:

Part 2: Lines on the Chessboard

Now that your child understands squares and colors, it's time to introduce the concept of lines. Lines are important because the chess pieces travel along lines to move around the board.

There are two types of lines on the chessboard: straight lines and diagonal lines.

I like to explain it to children this way: the chess pieces are like Dorothy on the yellow brick road — they follow different types of roads depending on how they move.

Straight Lines

Straight lines go up, down, and side to side. Teach this with the poem:

Diagonal Lines

Diagonal lines travel on a slant, always staying on one color. Teach this with the poem:

Wrapping Up

When you follow this method systematically and with a nurturing spirit, your child will develop firm control over the chessboard. It is worth taking the extra time to make sure there are no gaps. Slow and steady is the buzzword here — any skills your child is missing will definitely show up later.

On behalf of the Chess for Children family and myself — thank you. I hope your child and you had as much fun working through this lesson as I had in making it.

Next up: Part 5 — The Pawns!