It’s no secret that chess is often viewed as a purely academic activity; however, I believe such a view does a great disservice to a game that can be a beautiful expression of one’s personality, and when played for fun, can be a potent creative outlet. The perception of chess has changed significantly in the last 150 years, from the birth of the first world chess championship to the turn of the millennium, when a computer beat a reigning world chess champion for the first time. Once computers inevitably surpassed us, the top levels of chess almost exclusively became a…

At Mighty Moments, we use a range of evidence-based methods to support children’s development. We believe it is vital that we reflect on our practice, constantly learning from real-world experiences to not only improve our programs as a whole, but also our teaching practice as individuals. By engaging with children in a way that prioritises their emotions, relationships, and environment, we help them build strong social and emotional skills that will benefit them for life.  We came across a fantastic book by Dr Pat Palmer, EdD, called The Mouse, the Monster and Me: Assertiveness for Young People. Dr Pat’s work…

Did you know that up to the age of five, most kids think they are the funniest, fastest,  and pretty darn fabulous? That is absolutely awesome! However, according to independent findings by Susan Harter and Herbert Marsh, this drastically changes in children aged between five and eight due to social impacts and conditioning, wherein children’s belief in themselves and their capabilities changes significantly. By then, they know Tommy is the fastest, Sally is the funniest, and Sarah is the smartest. At Mighty Moments, we are fully aware of these social changes and try our best to empower kids to believe…