10/18/2025
This.
Why do I keep a chess board in my classroom?
Because “checkmate” sounds a whole lot better than “go sit in the office.”
Chess isn’t just a game- it’s a quiet regulation strategy.
It’s the art of thinking before reacting, of planning before moving, and of seeing from someone else’s perspective before you make your next choice.
When a student sits down at the board, they learn what it feels like to pause before responding. They learn that every move (just like every word) can change the outcome of the whole day.
It gives their brain a break from the noise and the screens, and gives their heart a chance to slow down. Two kids bent over a chessboard aren’t just learning strategy, they’re learning self-control, patience, and empathy. They’re learning how to handle frustration, how to start over after a mistake, and how to keep playing even when things don’t go their way.
In a trauma-informed classroom, we talk a lot about regulation tools. Some look like fidgets, breathing exercises, or calm corners. But sometimes the best tool doesn’t make a sound, it just sits on the shelf waiting to remind a student that slowing down is a strength, not a weakness.
So yes, we keep a chess board in our classroom.
Not because we’re raising the next grandmaster (though you never know)…
but because every child deserves a place where they can practice the balance between emotion and logic, between impulse and intention.
Connection over correction.
Strategy over reaction.
And a simple game that teaches lessons far beyond the board.