Tips for parents playing tennis with their kids

As a tennis teacher I feel I should give parents a few hints for how to enjoy tennis with their kids.

Take it slow and start small. Don’t be surprised if your child can’t play for a full hour. Start by playing for 15 minutes, then the next time aim for half an hour. After that try playing tennis for an hour. Purchase foam balls and lower nets. Foam balls can be bought at Sports Authority or Target. Portable nets can be purchased on rallytennis.com.

Slow down! Toss the ball with your hand, don’t hit the ball to your child with a racquet. Stand close to your kid when you throw the ball. Kids can’t always hit the ball when you are on the other side of the net, If your kid cannot connect, help them by simultaneously swinging the racquet with them and tossing the ball in front of them. Also practice shadowing where they copy you swinging the racquet.

Make it into a game. Here are some games that include fictional elements
- Fruit salad: Each kid is a fruit. As the game administrator you call out their fruit and then they hit the ball. Graduation: in this game a kid moves up a grade each time they hit the ball. Storylines keep kids excited about the game. If they want to play a real game- show them how to score the game and engage.


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