Tennis for tots

In our sedentary culture, parents are understandably anxious to enroll their children in activities to encourage an active life. Signing a child up for an activity they are not developmentally ready for however runs the risk of being counterproductive, and causing children to not like the chosen activity.

Tennis is not an activity that a parent and child can enroll in as a mommy –and-me class. Children need to learn tennis skills on their own. Of course, as children develop skills practicing with parents and siblings can be a lot of fun.

Some children are ready to embark on tennis training at age three. More are ready by age five. Most are ready by age seven. The main thing that a child needs to be able to do well, before beginning tennis lessons is to be able to listen and follow instructions from the teacher. The child should also have an interest in tennis. It is also very useful for children to be familiar with left and right, but not imperative.

For young children, it is best to begin with private lessons with a tennis pro who is familiar working with young children. After children are slightly older and have mastered basics then exploring group lessons is acceptable. But young children lack the attention span to absorb and learn when in a large group expected to take turns. If the teacher becomes frustrated the child will likely pick up on that and end up not enjoying them game,

Playing tennis is obviously fantastic exercise. It also can help improve optimistic outlook, improve confidence, develop tactical thinking, and encourage problem solving skills. Learning tennis can also improve hand-eye coordination and help with motor skill development.

On a social level, children exposed to tennis lessons and/or competition will have to interact with a wide variety of people. Thus children will have the opportunity to lean social skills, teamwork, how to handle failure, as well as self-discipline.

Personally, I feel that children do better when waiting until age five or so to begin tennis lessons, as prior to that, it is harder to express a specific interest. If a parent really wants to encourage a child to try tennis, he or she can engage the child in games with tennis equipment or play on tennis courts when not in use.

Children who seem to lose interest shouldn’t be forced to play, instead focus on what can be changed to make it more fun. If the child is in private lessons, consider adding a group lesson. If he or she is not meshing well with the coach then consider changing that. Or allow a break to determine if tennis is the right sport for him or her.

Children’s tennis lessons should be inclusive and supportive, and not very competitive. By playing games focused on tennis rules or skills kids will learn quickly and not feel forced. When something is fun, kids want to do more of it. Tennis can be a great game even for young children as long as they are not compelled to play.

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