Teaching tennis to young children

Teaching tennis to young and developing children is sometimes like being an occupational therapist; it involves explaining to kids how to do a fine motor related procedure in a way that is understandable and doable. Good tennis instruction entails assisting kids with motor planning. Sometimes just telling a kid what you need them to do doesn’t help the child produce the desired outcome. For instance telling a kid to follow through may not make the kid follow through but telling them that they have to keep swinging until the racquet is scratching their back and actually doing a complete swing with them will help them comprehend how to follow through. Telling them that they should catch the racquet with their other hand also helps them understand how to follow through. These instructions are better because they give the person a clearer picture of what follow through actually means in physical terms. After all what does the word follow through mean to an 8 year old? As a tennis instructor sometimes it is best to see your self wearing the hat of an occupational therapist. How can you make the action you want the child to do more manageable and understandable for them?