It gets dark by 4:30pm nowadays, so we have to find ways to kill the time inside with the kids. I’ve been teaching Frugal Boy how to play chess. So far we are just going over the basics such as the names of pieces, how they move, how they attack, and when the game ends. Also, grit. Chess takes a lot of grit because you lose a lot. Next year he can participate in the school chess program if he desires.
The game can be made more interesting for the instructor by handicapping your own starting pieces. Try playing without a queen or any rooks or just king and pawns for a real head scratcher.