I first learned to play checkers as a very young child–about four, I believe. I can’t recall who taught me to play but I believe it was my father. I didn’t understand about strategy then or about planning ahead. You can learn a lot about life playing checkers! I wish someone had explained that to me early on and that I could have used those lessons as I went through my teens and twenties. I would have saved a lot of grief.

Some lessons you can learn from playing checkers:

• It’s okay to lose checkers. Life lesson: Sometimes you need to sacrifice to get what you really want.
• Getting “crowned” in checkers doesn’t guarantee you will win. Life lesson: Getting a job promotion or achieving a goal isn’t always a good thing.
• You can’t always be the winner in a game of checkers. Life lesson: You can’t always be the “top dog” in life.
• It doesn’t matter which color checkers you use; either color can win the game. Life lesson: It doesn’t matter what you look like or what your talents are. You were made for a purpose by the Creator and he has a life plan for you which He wants you to “win.”