Nursery World - It's your move, children tell teachers

Mozart may have been composing music at the age of four, but three-year-olds at a nursery in Scotland are making winning moves on the chessboard. Over the past year, Holy Family Nursery School in Kirkintilloch has been teaching three- and four-year-olds like Lucia Doyle and Andrew Harris (pictured) the rudiments of chess as part of a regional pilot scheme. Staff introduced chess as a topic, starting with a fairy castle and knights theme, from which the children learned the names of the chess pieces.

Over the past year, Holy Family Nursery School in Kirkintilloch has been teaching three- and four-year-olds like Lucia Doyle and Andrew Harris (pictured) the rudiments of chess as part of a regional pilot scheme. Staff introduced chess as a topic, starting with a fairy castle and knights theme, from which the children learned the names of the chess pieces.

Anne Smith, head of early years and childcare at West Dunbartonshire Council, masterminded the move. She said, 'Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education are saying that children need more challenge, and we also wanted to challenge adults' thinking about their capabilities. It's great to have high expectations for children and staff. We're hoping all our nurseries will have chess sets.'

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