Sorry to hear about your set, kids...
May I suggest a good quality tournament sized plastic set with vinyl or silicon board that you can keep out and about in the house, should withstand the kids and also safe for the kids as well.
Great video, see below, I have watched it a few times, click the CC button, next to settings to see the sub titles.
Donner said he has no actual board at home but then he says something like, we chess players have these small portable sets, he means those flat pocket sets that fold out with magnetic flat pieces, so he does have a set that he uses at home.
Another great video, see below, of Fischer, shows his human side, he uses a Dubrovnik wooden set with a vinyl board, so that it is portable, sadly that set is now lost.
Everybody is different and does what is best for them, you should always have a board man, so you can focus and look at the board, otherwise your mind may just wonder about...
Ok, here's a question, but let me preface it:
I used to try to set up the board and analyze positions from my games, or in any case, going over games I would more often than not go through the moves on a board with pieces, analyzing and studying, etc. However, today my children broke some of my pieces and I have no other chess set for the time being. I'm incapable of looking at broken pieces that were once so nice and beautiful. . .ya know those heavy wooden soldiers carved so nicely at the House of Staunton, which one buys just for the feeling of quality. Ok, ok. . .fine. I will just have to analyze and study blind, visualizing. Now my question:
I recall in that old documentary The Love for Wood, GM Donner saying that he never uses a real board and pieces for homework, etc. Regarding moving pieces around on a board, he says, "No! This is not done." "You will not find a chess set at my house." Was he telling the truth? Is it really the case that serious work requires that we NOT use any board and pieces? Is the destruction of my chess set really a kind of blessing from above? Maybe I should not get another chess set, and do all my training in the manner described in that old interview. I don't know. After all, you hear that the old guys often analyzed blind, and perhaps that is the best way. Please share your thoughts on this question.