Way back in 2006, Story Time Chess co-founder Tyler Schwartz found himself in a bit of a jam. After teaching chess in New York City for several years, he’d landed a gig at a prestigious preschool in Lower Manhattan. It was the first time he’d ever introduced three-year-olds to the game and he quickly realized that the traditional approach to chess instruction wasn’t going to cut it.
Simply telling the kids how the king moved on the chessboard wasn’t enough. They needed more; they needed a why. Thankfully, Tyler’s momentary panic led to inspiration. Thinking fast, he improvised a story about a very hungry king who took one slow step at a time, providing an aha! moment for his young pupils with a character-driven explanation that made an abstract, arbitrary rule concrete and relatable.
That first aha! moment eventually launched a tutoring service called Chess at Three, which would go on to become the premier early childhood chess company in the city. Within a few years, hundreds of schools all over the country were licensing Chess at Three’s story-based curriculum and teaching it in their own classrooms.
Then, in 2018, the Chess at Three team adapted the first module of that curriculum into an illustrated storybook and custom chess set called Story Time Chess: The Game. In the sixteen years since Tyler’s first foray into early childhood chess, their companies have expanded to reach over 250,000 kids around the world.
That’s why they’re excited to announce the next evolution in their company’s journey. Thinking Cup Learning, the parent company overseeing their tutoring service, licensing program, and board game products, will now be known as Story Time Learning.
Though they continue to evolve, their mission — delivering 1,000,000 aha! moments by 2030 — remains the same, Story Time Learning will continue to turn out even more innovative board game products. While they deepen their chess product line, they’ll also look beyond chess to make a range of tricky subjects and challenging games fun and accessible for ages three and up.
Excited? Here’s a look at what Story Time Learning have in the pipeline right now:
Story Time Backgammon
Last year, the Story Time Chess community participated in a poll and the response was overwhelmingly, “More games please!” Well, their team are very happy to report that an all-new board game is nearing completion right now: Story Time Backgammon!
Featuring a richly illustrated board, nine-chapter storybook with lessons and mini-games, and custom pieces with colourful inserts, Story Time Backgammon tells the tale of a friendly pirate named Peglegra the Bold and a Viking chieftain named Chompus the Great. In Story Time Backgammon, these two intrepid sailors will set out from their homes on opposite ends of the Bay of Gammon in search of treasure and glory.
As always, no backgammon experience is necessary to play, learn, or teach the game. Just open the storybook and have a blast learning backgammon along with your kids, one rule—and one story—at a time.
So keep a weather eye out for Story Time Backgammon, available for purchase in 2023!
Story Time Chess Expansion Sets
Over 70,000 families can’t be wrong: That’s how many people around the globe own a copy of Story Time Chess. Since its official launch in 2019, Story Time Chess customers have been hankering for more fun, engaging Chesslandia adventures that expand their kids’ chess knowledge and deepen their love of the game.
Each set also includes three workbooks: a kid-friendly chess puzzle book with mini-stories and engaging puzzles, a phonics-focused activity workbook, and a colouring book that lets your child’s creativity run wild.
Their Level 2 and Level 3 Expansions will be available in Australia soon!
Ready to get started? Head to www.vrdistribution.com.au to get back in the game and take your family range of entertainment to the next level with the Story Time Learning range!
Or contact sales [@] vrdistribution.com.au to get in touch and learn more!
