Hi all.
I am 19 and currently work as a chess educator in Brisbane, Australia.

I mostly teach kids in primary schools and have been doing so for the past year.

This year though my employers want me to start promoting chess around at classes at schools though, and I am both a little perplexed, and nervous...

I really don't know what to tell them because they all have their own reasons for playing chess and I have never done this sort of thing before.

So, I was hoping I could get some advice or opinions about what I should say or tell them - particularly about why they should play chess besides from putting lots of offers on the table about prizes and lollies, etc.
ANy feedback is highly appreciated, for I feel out of my depth on this one :/
Thanks Guys!

Joseph 

you cannot make someone "like" chess.  those who see the board and want to sit will sit.  those who walk by will just walk by.  in the first group you do not need a reward ( but snacks at a side table for everyone is a good idea ).  for those in the second group they will go away as soon as they are done with the prizes you offer.

offer the place and the opportunity.  let the students choose you.

Ok...different tact...
What would you, marysson say is a benefit from playing chess? 

for young children the feeling that they are made to feel different (special ), that their is a "club/group" friendship, that they "belong somewhere or others", that they do win some small prize now and then, that for those who earn points for the number of games they play ( win or lose ) they earn a saturday half day trip somewhere or a trip to some pizza place and maybe for those who earn enough points or just play regularly some inexpensive hat ( paint stores sell little paper baseball type caps for house painters. the company that makes these could give you some blanks as a free gift or even maybe print a rook on them just to be nice and the kids who play regularly can wear these small caps ).

Umm..I honestly think that chess is more than a game. It goes beyond that... Believe it or not, chess actually helps a lot in your life. Thinking ahead, planning, analyzing and also patience!

I think you need to emphasis that chess is a thinking game that can be enjoyed on so many levels.  Each individual will take to it differently and because it makes you think, it helps you develop reasoning, analysis and like the previous comment states: patience.  I think most children would benefit from anything that helps them take a step back and "consider".

Furthermore, chess is a competative (and very reflective) game - but it is competition with the self as much as it is with another person...

And, the more social aspect is that it brings individuals together, it has the capacity to teach manners and protocol for example and help the individual to accept loss or victory in equal measure.  You're not going to make every individual a champion and not everyone will develop their game beyond a certain level, but the benefits it could bring are good across the board (no pun intended).

I play chess because it is fun smacking down older kids and adults and beating boys. I Also play chess because it makes me think really really hard , which is good for me because the number of times I do things without thinking is scary. As far as losing goes , that totally bites, but if you learn something from it then its OK.  Plus I play chess cause it gets me out of class sometimes , especially Algebra (yuck). 

Anyway as to your question, why not go find a bunch of kids who play and find out what they like about it. Ask Enough of them and you will have your answer and maybe you wont come over like some geekified person who doesnt know how to talk to kids. 

 

Best of luck and Cheers, Kelly 

i believe the question is about how to succeed teaching chess to young children and impliedly how to keep a job effectively doing so.

you cannot make or trick children into liking chess.

"when the student is ready the master appears"

you show up to demonstrate chess.  those who have the hidden heart for it will stay.  those who stay for treats ( like a dog at the dinner table ) will gaze at you and rapt attention until the scraps are no longer delivered.

those destined for politics or crime will have left the room when they hear you are coming...each to their own mirrors..which is what drives "successful politicians and criminals ( and those who fail at both were just in it for the money ).

Chess is a game played with another person. It is a great tool to socialize and network with others. Capablanca is a great example of this. He dined with royalty and partied with the rich. (Unfortunately, some people get too attached with winning, so much so that they end up not talking to their opponents.) Chess is also a game that can be played by people of all ages. So the skills they learn in chess will serve them for the rest of their lives.