21 fun tennis games parents can play with their kids

Movement and coordination skill games

When hitting a tennis shot, we need to control our bodies. There are many different types of movement in tennis – running, sidestepping, jumping, and backpedalling, as well as throwing and balance.

It is important to remember children can't cover a full-sized court, so whatever you do with them, keep it in a small area. Mini person = mini court!

Games to help movement:

• Dodger and Shadower – one person moves and dodges in a space, the other one shadows their movement
• Vortexes and American footballs – overarm throws to each other (helps the serve)
• Follow the ball – throw and catch two balls at once
• Balloon tennis – tap the balloon up and don’t let it hit the floor
• Body stop – roll ball for child and they have to chase it and stop it with a specific part of the body e.g. left knee

Reception skill games

No player can hit a good tennis shot unless they can track a ball and be in the right position to execute the shot.

Games to help receiving skills:

• Throw and catch tennis - throw and catch a ball to one another, mimicking tennis shots (can be a tennis ball or a big ball)
• Goalkeepers – throw the ball past your child; they have to move and block it with hands
• Throw and kick – exchange balls with each other; one person throws, one person kicks
• Tunnel roll – roll a ball and the child has to make a ‘tunnel’ with legs for the ‘train’ to go through
• Kangaroos – child uses t-shirt as a pouch to catch balls at waist height

Racket skill games

Learning to control the ball starts with controlling the body, then the racket. If a child can control the racket face, they will have greater success in directing the ball where they wish it to go.

Top tip: anything can be used as a net – a chair, cones, a line on the ground, jumpers…be imaginative!

Games to help racket skills:

• Fish and Chips – tap the ball up using both sides of the racket face; one side is fish, one side is chips. Call out wich side they have to tap the ball with. For a challenge, also use the frame of the racket (’vinegar’)
• Alternate taps – take turns in tapping the ball up to each other
• Floor tennis – send ball along floor with racket, using both sides of racket face and moving racket from one side of the body to the other to replicate forehands/backhands
• Monster face – use belongings e.g. bags, drink bottles, other balls etc to create monster eyes, nose, hair etc. Stand a distance away and see if you can send the ball and hit part of the face. Try to destroy the monster!
• Circle of Doom – mark out an area that is your ‘court’, then an area within that which is the Circle of Doom. Try to hit into the ‘court’ but away from the circle.
• Tap and catch - throw the ball to your child, let them tap it and see if you can catch it.

Note: for little ones, you don’t even have to use a ball. A beanbag or cuddly toy can be used for them to practise catching on the racket. 

Real tennis games

There is a very high chance your child will ask “when can we play real tennis?” This doesn't have to be over the full-sized net on a full-sized court. Remember, kids need adapted courts and adapted rules.

Help kids learn how to play the game:

• Big ball tennis – in a designated area, throw and catch a big ball. Usual rules of tennis, such as one bounce only; on the line is in. Help them understand that if a mistake is made by their opponent, then they win the point, and vice versa.
• Invisible man – start the point with a drop hit; if it goes in, they win a point. If they miss, they get a second serve, but if they miss both serves, the invisible man wins the point.
• Touch tennis – start with the ball on top of the net, let it roll off and play a rally.
• Tennis cards – take a pack of cards, pull out a card and try to get a rally of whatever that card shows e.g. 8 of hearts – rally of 8, ace = 1, King = 13.
• Survivor – who can rally but always recover to their ‘home base’ – if anyone forgets, they lose a life. Three lives each; see who survives.