Chess in the Preschool Classroom: Associations with Children’s Mathematics Ability, Self-Regulated Learning, and Executive Functions

In the early years of life, a child's mind is not just learning facts; it is building the mental machinery required to learn anything at all. Scientists who study this period focus heavily on a set of skills known as executive functions. Think of these not as a single superpower, but as a team of mental managers working in the background. One manager holds information in mind for a few seconds, like remembering a set of instructions while carrying them out. Another manager helps a child stop an impulsive reaction, such as grabbing a toy before it is their turn. A third helps them switch gears when a game's rules change. Alongside these mental managers, researchers also look at how children regulate their own learning. This involves setting a goal, paying attention to the task, noticing a mistake, and trying a different approach without needing an adult to step in immediately. These abilities are the foundation for later success in school, particularly in mathematics, where a child must hold numbers in their head, follow a sequence of steps, and plan ahead.

For decades, educators and parents have wondered if playing complex strategy games could strengthen these mental muscles. Chess, with its deep history and demanding rules, is often the first game that comes to mind. It requires a player to visualize future moves, remember the positions of many pieces, and control the urge to act too quickly. While some studies have suggested that chess makes children smarter, others have argued that the connection might simply be that children who are already good at thinking and planning are the ones who enjoy and stick with the game. Most research has looked at chess as a special after-school club or a short-term class, where the game is treated as a separate lesson. This leaves a gap in our understanding: what happens when chess is not a special event, but a natural, everyday part of a preschool classroom?

A recent study conducted in Turkey sought to answer this question by observing children in a preschool where chess was woven directly into the daily routine. The researchers, Atiye Adak Özdemir and Ahmet Erol, worked with 52 children between the ages of four and six. In this classroom, chess was not a formal lesson taught at a specific hour. Instead, it was a permanent fixture, available alongside other toys, allowing children to engage with it whenever they felt drawn to it. The teachers, one of whom was a certified chess coach, integrated the game through storytelling and social play, encouraging children to think before they moved rather than focusing on winning. Over time, the researchers observed the children and sorted them into three groups based on their skill: beginners who knew the pieces and basic rules, intermediate players who could move all the pieces correctly, and advanced players who demonstrated strategic thinking and could solve simple checkmate puzzles.

The team then measured the children's abilities in three key areas. They tested early mathematics skills using a standardized assessment that looked at counting, number concepts, and calculation. They asked teachers to rate the children on their executive functions, specifically looking at working memory and the ability to stop impulsive actions. Finally, they evaluated how well the children could learn independently, noting behaviors like setting goals, monitoring their own progress, and adjusting their strategies when things went wrong.

The results painted a clear picture of how these skills were linked. The children with the highest level of chess proficiency also showed the strongest performance in mathematics. The advanced players scored significantly higher on math tests than the beginners, and the intermediate players scored in the middle. This pattern held true for the mental managers as well. The children who were better at chess also demonstrated stronger working memory and overall executive function skills. Interestingly, the study found no significant difference between the groups in the ability to stop impulsive actions, suggesting that the benefits of chess might be more closely tied to holding information and planning than to simple impulse control. The link was also strong for self-regulated learning; the children who played chess at a higher level were more likely to show the behaviors of a self-directed learner, such as staying focused and trying new strategies on their own.

To understand why this might be happening, the researchers spoke with the teacher who had integrated the game into the classroom. She explained that the key was treating chess as a natural material for play rather than a rigid subject. Children learned by watching each other, by hearing stories about the pieces, and by discussing their moves. The teacher emphasized that the goal was not to make the right move immediately, but to think through the possibilities first. She noted that children began using chess concepts in their daily conversations, talking about "forks" and "pins" in real-life situations, which showed that the game had become a shared language for thinking. This approach allowed children to practice planning and problem-solving in a low-pressure environment where mistakes were seen as part of the learning process.

When the researchers used statistical models to see what predicted the children's math scores, they found that both chess proficiency and the ability to learn independently were powerful predictors. Even when they accounted for the children's working memory, the level of chess skill a child had remained a significant factor in their math performance. This suggests that the experience of playing chess in this natural, integrated way was associated with a child's ability to think mathematically. However, the researchers are careful to note that this study looked at a snapshot in time. Because they observed children who were already playing chess rather than assigning some to play and others not to, they cannot say for certain that chess caused the improvements. It is possible that children who are naturally more curious or better at planning are drawn to chess and also excel in math.

Despite this limitation, the findings offer a compelling look at how a traditional game can fit into modern early education. The study suggests that when chess is introduced not as a competitive sport or a separate lesson, but as a tool for social interaction and daily thinking, it aligns with the development of skills that matter for school readiness. The children in this study did not just learn how to move a knight; they practiced the mental habits of holding a plan in their mind, checking their work, and thinking ahead. By making the game a part of the everyday fabric of the classroom, the teachers created an environment where these cognitive skills could grow alongside the children's enjoyment of the game. The research indicates that the value of chess may lie less in the game itself and more in how it is used to support a child's natural drive to think, plan, and solve problems.