I can help you there. My son started playing as a 4-year old and is now 10. I never played but, like you are planning to do, I learned as he learned.
You have lots of options.
1) Fritz and Chesster software / game. This is the best way for kids to learn, I think. It is designed for kids but teaches serious chess. The software technology is a little outdated but as a teaching tool, is simply excellent – fun, funny, educational. Dad will learn alot, too. There are 3 levels. I discovered it after my son already knew the game so we started with level 2 and have not yet bought 3. If your kids knows how to castle, know what en passant means, know the value of each piece, have basic check-mating skills, they may be able to skip level 1. Level 2 introduces forks, skewers, pins, endgame, openings. So much to learn and a really fun package.
2) I find chess books horrible. Very complicated, hard to follow. Have to spend way too much time reading to understand anytyhing useful. Even books written for beginners are annoyingly unclear and dry.
Only exception I found is – Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. It is a series of situational puzzles that end up teaching alot. My son went through this book before he could read. I read him the problems and he solved them. Starts out very simple and gets very tricky later on. Lots of fun.
A book called Traps and Zaps would be a second choice later on.
3) chess.com – allows you to play correspondence chess w/ your kids. It is difficult to find time to play a full game, so I play him online and we each have 7 days to move. Can play from home, work, iPad, etc. He can play when he gets home from school and I can play after he goes to bed. I travelled last week but continued playing chess w/ my son and friends. Chess.com seems to have a rich learning environment also but I haven’t gone there.
4) San Diego chess club. We went once when he was 5 years old but the kids’ night lasted until 9:30 or 10 pm and it was just too late for him, even on Friday. I hassled them about it and they refused to move it earlier. I was annoyed. We should probably check back in on that now that he is 10.
FYI – I took my son to a tournament at the chess club. The choice was beginner or intermediate. He was beating everyone at his school so I put him in intermediate and he got creamed. So, those are good players down there, compared to after-school chess players, I’d say.
5) For your son, not you, check for after school programs. A guy named Larry Evans runs them in San Diego. Mountain Chess or something like that.
6) Summer camps. Did a week-long Larry Evans camp one Summer and he really enjoyed it.
