Based on your filters 
Is your child making a racket about racket sports? Do they love watching tennis on TV, and want to get on the court themselves? This is good news for you since tennis is a sport with varied and multifaceted benefits for kids!
Tennis helps improve kids’ quality of life in a variety of ways, from improving their general health and physical well-being, to tuning up key cognitive skills like focus and motor planning. Read on to learn more about why you should encourage your child’s interest in tennis.
Physical Benefits of Tennis Lessons for Kids
Getting interested and involved in sports at a young age has a positive impact on kids’ overall health. Healthier kids are happier kids! Tennis is no different. It promotes a wide variety of physical developments in your child, which you can read about here:
Low Risk of Injury
Since tennis is a no-contact sport, and is relatively easy on the joints, kids are not likely to suffer more than a potential sprain or strain in a lifetime of tennis playing.
Flexibility
In order to build up the range of motion needed for tennis playing, kids will need to stretch regularly, increasing their muscle flexibility and further reducing the chance of injury.
Speed, Agility, and Cardiovascular Health
Tennis is all about speed! The frequent quick movements required by the game will get your kid’s heart rate up and benefit their cardiovascular health.
Balance
Since there’s so much moving around quickly and stopping and starting quickly involved in tennis, it challenges your child’s dynamic balance, and their ability to stay up and steady on their feet while moving rapidly.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Any sport that requires kids to hit a ball teaches good hand-eye coordination, but tennis puts a constant demand on hand-eye coordination, leading to superior development.
Muscle and Bone Strength
Kids will strengthen not only their muscles playing tennis but their bones too! Weight-bearing exercises like tennis, implemented in childhood, can reduce future risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
Because tennis requires cooperation from both the gross (large) and fine (small) motor areas of the brain and body, it develops excellent motor coordination!
Stronger Immune System
The improved overall fitness your child will experience due to playing tennis regularly will increase their body’s ability to fight off infections.
Mental and Emotional Benefits of Tennis Lessons for Kids
Aside from the myriad physical benefits of tennis classes for kids, there are a plethora of mental and emotional benefits as well!
Concentration and Focus
Tennis requires constant vigilance and total involvement in the moment. Practicing these skills will teach your child how to turn on their concentration and focus when they need to!
A Lifetime Hobby
Tennis is a diverse sport with a diverse set of players. People play tennis for reasons that range from casual and social to competitive. It’s great for all ages, which means your child can revisit their tennis training at any time of their life, for any reason.
Social Skills and Sportsmanship
Tennis is a social sport that teaches good values such as sportsmanship, honesty, and respect for your opponent. It’s also a great way to meet and interact with new friends!
How Do I Know My Child is Ready for Tennis Lessons?
It’s typically recommended that kids who are interested start tennis lessons around ages 5-6. At this developmental stage, your child is most likely to enjoy the game, understand the rules, and have developed the necessary motor functions to play the game.
How Do I Prepare My Child for Tennis Lessons?
Make sure your child is well prepared for their first tennis lesson. Ensure they eat a light but healthy meal around an hour before the lesson and show up well-hydrated and with a water bottle! They’ll be running around a lot, so make sure footwear is comfortable, supportive, and slip-proof. Likewise, clothing should be well-fitting, comfortable, and breathable.
One great way to teach your child what to expect in a tennis lesson is to practice teaching them a few basics at home before switching to a totally new learning environment. A great way to do this is with some free online video tennis lessons, which can be found all over the internet.
Free Online Tennis Resources for Kids
We recommend you try one (or more) of these excellent online tennis video lessons, which are absolutely free! These resources can help you gauge your child’s interest in tennis lessons from home, with no financial obligation or commitment.
Tennis Evolution
Tennis pro Jeff offers free video lessons on a few key topics on the Tennis Evolution site. This site isn’t specifically catered to kids but is relatively kid friendly. It’s a good place to bulk up your own tennis knowledge before teaching the basics to your kid. They have a selection of 18 free video lessons available here. They also offer paid courses, if you like what you see.
Essential Tennis
Essential Tennis is another site that offers one-time purchase courses as well as free online video lessons. Check out their selection of free resources here.
Top Speed Tennis
Top Speed Tennis offers unlimited access to free video tennis lessons online, all you have to do is create a free account and subscribe to their newsletter! Find out how to access free tennis content on their site here.
IntoSport
IntoSport is a YouTube channel that has tons of free online fitness lessons for adults and kids alike. A particular gem in their crown is this playlist of tennis lessons and tips devised specifically for kids!
We hope reading this article has inspired you to aid your child in the pursuit of their passion. Tennis is a great sport for kids with a terrific range of physical, mental, and social benefits.
If you’re in the Jersey City or Hoboken area and looking for in-person tennis lessons for kids, try searching Wondrfly! Wondrfly is the best new tool for searching, saving, and rating kids’ activity providers in Jersey City and Hoboken.
Categories