This is a wonderful post. Critical thinking is so important for intellectual health, possibly the most important natural health which makes all other health possible.

The last item, the Socratic method, was a huge teaching tool for my son and daughter. My son enjoyed the questions in response as a challenge, but my daughter often complained about not giving her a straight answer.

When my son was young he asked about the chess board and wanted to play. I told him that he first had to beat me at checkers, and I would not let him win. We played a lot of checkers after that for a short time, until he won. From then on it was chess. Next was involvement in a chess club at school, back before I realized public schools were really government indoctrination camps. In 5th grade he moved on to a new school where they didn't have a chess club. He had so looked forward to playing the kids from the other K-4 schools and was very disappointed. After visiting with the principal, he found a teacher to partner with and we began a club after school once a week. That was the beginning of a wonderful thing in my life.

I soon learned that a school chess club wasn't about chess as much as providing an opportunity for kids, some who were adrift, to be a part of something wholesome with a sharp bunch of kids, learning a lot about life and developing critical thinking schools. For some with attention problems it was a tool to correct that. For others with self control problems, it helped to achieve self-control through focusing. For many, it was an opportunity to simply learn that they were smart, like most kids, and go on to accomplish a lot. Some of the kids in the club probably never won a game, but simply enjoyed the opportunity to be part of something good. All of them learned that you never really lose at something, if you learned from the experience. I could go on and on...

Another important lesson that needs to be mentioned is the need to maintain balance in life. Some kids will tend to obsess over chess and do it all the time. For them the example of Bobby Fischer is presented. He was possibly the best chessplayer ever. However, he focused on it so much that he became insane and it eventually destroyed his life. Maintaining balance in life is every bit as important as thinking ability.

Next my son and his club-mates became involved in scholastic chess tournaments where I experienced the same good things going on across the state. They needed a new chess tournament director which became the next step in my involvement. Soon I was directing all of the large scholastic chess tournaments in Oklahoma with as many as 275 players. It felt good to be helping so many to do something that was so good for them.

My daughter also became involved in the chess club at age 9. Eventually, she and my son left for an advanced high school in their junior years and then went on to college. They became busy with other opportunities in their lives and drifted away from chess, for now. However my involvement has continued.

After 15-years, I still direct nearly all of the largest scholastic chess tournaments in my state. After the nest emptied, I continued because there's no other way for me to help so many other kids develop intellectual health. As the years go by and more my age that I'm close to pass on, its become a challenge to find others to take up this opportunity to help a lot of kids.

I encourage everyone to think about this. Do whatever you can to help as many kids a possible to develop critical thinking skills, especially now that public schools seem to be doing everything they can to destroy them. Supporting scholastic chess is one great way to do it.

Thanks @nianaztengra for the excellent message.