teaching a four year old

[cmhobbs]

I wasn't sure if this was better fit for the Beginner's board (or some other board), so I opted for General instead. Please relocate the thread if it's more appropriate elsewhere.

While I played long ago in college a bit, I didn't start "seriously" playing Go until my son was 2 (just about to turn 3). I managed to acquire a small handful of cheaper sets during this time and I didn't mind if he played with the pieces so long as he was supervised to avoid choking and all that...

Over the last two years, my son has been watching me play and study. Often when I study or play, he'll get one of the other sets out and begin arranging pieces into patterns, shapes, or pictures. After a while, I noticed he was copying some of my moves, though I don't know if it was a conscious effort. He'd start to lay out knight's moves, long knight's moves, and eventually laying out nearly entire fuseki from some of my games.

About a year ago, he asked me if he could play go with me so I started trying to teach him about capturing. Liberties were still an abstract concept so we'd work on a 19x19 board, just laying out different variations of stones while he worked on surrounding them. He seemed to enjoy himself but his attention span was naturally short. He went back to making shapes and pictures. This has gone on for about a year.

A couple of days ago, I let him play with one of the boards and I noticed him talking about "this stone doesn't have any more space left" and "I'm going to surround that one if you play here." I asked him if he'd like to play a real game and he agreed. We started playing on a 9x9 and I gave him a 5 stone handicap. It was a trainwreck given he doesn't know anything about territory so I beat him severely (albeit on accident). I felt like a horrible father but he still says he had fun.

I decided that he might do better on a 5x5, so I printed off one of the postscript boards and we set about playing. I'll be damned if he didn't beat me outright in the first game. I thought it was a fluke, so I asked for another game and he beat me again. Honestly beat me. He requested a 9x9 game after that and it went downhill for him again.

So with my small novel out of the way, my question is this: I think my son has a serious knack for the game and he can't even read yet. He enjoys it and I'd like to foster that in him if he wishes to continue. How the hell do you teach a 4 year old the nuances of the game?

The biggest hurdle I see right now is the emotional one. I start to see him crack a little bit if I take more than a stone or two. I've mostly tried to praise his other moves and let him know what moves he made that lead to the capture. I'll often let him backpedal and take moves back after placing a stone if there's a real threat.

Anyway, any input is greatly appreciated!

[Bonobo]

I’d say let him play as many Tsumego as possible, either on the ’net or on your iDevice or Android.

[Bill Spight]

I asked him if he'd like to play a real game and he agreed. We started playing on a 9x9 and I gave him a 5 stone handicap. It was a trainwreck given he doesn't know anything about territory so I beat him severely (albeit on accident). I felt like a horrible father but he still says he had fun.

I decided that he might do better on a 5x5, so I printed off one of the postscript boards and we set about playing. I'll be damned if he didn't beat me outright in the first game. I thought it was a fluke, so I asked for another game and he beat me again. Honestly beat me. He requested a 9x9 game after that and it went downhill for him again.

It's wonderful that he beat you on a 5x5! Maybe the 7x7 would be a good board for now. And on the 9x9 there is surely a handicap that he could beat you on. And a handicap where you two can have a good game without your holding back.

So with my small novel out of the way, my question is this: I think my son has a serious knack for the game and he can't even read yet. He enjoys it and I'd like to foster that in him if he wishes to continue. How the hell do you teach a 4 year old the nuances of the game?

Does your son say "walked" but also says "went" instead of "goed"? Then he is capable of some nuance, and he learned it on his own. Sakata talked about his memories as a 6 year old student of Masubuchi. She would come by his home and set up a whole board position and ask him where to play next. He would make a play and she would pat him on the head.

If he is interested in go, given the opportunities your son will learn a lot on his own, figure out a lot, and soak up a lot. It is best if he has good examples to imitate, so that he does not pick up bad habits. You might consider pro lessons, or at least get some pro advice. I do not think that pros necessarily know how to teach adults, but they do know how to teach kids with talent for the game.

The biggest hurdle I see right now is the emotional one. I start to see him crack a little bit if I take more than a stone or two. I've mostly tried to praise his other moves and let him know what moves he made that lead to the capture. I'll often let him backpedal and take moves back after placing a stone if there's a real threat.

30 years ago (1984!) I had a go a teaching problem solving to high school kids. The main obstacles I found were not intellectual, but emotional. Your son's negative response to losing a few stones is a normal part of learning. What you want to avoid are situations where he feels bad and are too difficult for him. The resultant sense of hopelessness can not only turn him off of go, but can also cause emotional problems. Letting him take moves back is a good idea as a way to keep the level of difficulty appropriate. As a rule of thumb, the right level of difficulty is one where he can succeed about half the time.

Since he does not like to lose stones, perhaps the capture game would be a good teaching method. For instance, you could play on the 7x7 or 9x9 where he wins if he captures one of your stones, but you have to capture several of his. (Pick a number. 10?) Then if you capture 4 of his stones and he gets bothered, you can point out that that's not enough for you to win; he can still win. Again, the key is to find a situation that is not too easy and not too difficult.

[Elom]

Thanks for your effort! This is the future of Go in your hands... Hmm, I'm not an expert, but if he is having trouble coping with having stones captured, I'd memorise a few commented pro games, and then replay them on the board (in my case passionately explaining the simple aspects like a news reporter) where huge sacrifices of multiple stones are involved, and then simplify and omit certain aspects so that it doesn't overload his brain stressing that "The best players in the whole world are sacrificing they're stones", getting through the whole game in less than 5 minutes . That way, he could get over his fear of losing stones without thinking that L&D isn't important.

[Bonobo]

I think Snapback (or “mouse trap”, as it’s called in German) and Oiotoshi (connect and lose even more) are good examples for sacrificing which your son should easily understand.

[Drew]

My 3.5 year old understands capturing but flips out (= cries) if you capture any of his pieces.

Our favorite way to play is via software on a 9x9 - he captures my pieces over and over until I can only pass, then he fills in all his open spaces save for the last, which he places for me, thereby "capturing" the entire board (he finds this delightfully satisfying), and we begin again as opposite colors.

I strongly believe the most important thing below, say, age 7 is that your child is having fun. The rest will come in due time.

[Bill Spight]

I strongly believe the most important thing below, say, age 7 is that your child is having fun.

That's the most important thing at any age.