Trying to build a chess playing family

5 might be a bit young...but the best way is to learn each piece once a day.

It can be fun!  Do it before breakfast. 

You have to learn to crawl before you can walk.

As an adult, you can do this yourself once a day.

Then practice with a program...there are plenty of web sites.  Just don't worry about losing.  There is only one way to guarantee you will never lose, and that is not to play. 

Your children will be able to learn chess much faster than you (I was taught about when I was 5 or 7.  It was so long ago that I not sure).   I don't normally disagree with JtotheA, but I think you should teach the kids all the pieces and moves at once.  It may take a while to get good at the game and learn all the different strategies, but learning all the rules at once is the way I learned it and it wasn't too hard.  The most confusing part is learning "pawn en passant", but that is something you can leave until you are all familiar with the game.

No Stress Chess is the best game I have found for teaching both kids and adults to chess.This game uses cards that tell you which piece to move. I love this chess set!