How to Teach Kids Tennis: A Simple Guide for Parents of 4 to 8 Year Olds

Tennis is a brilliant sport for young children. It builds coordination, balance and confidence, and it teaches them how to handle winning, losing and everything in between. The good news is you don't need to be a tennis player yourself to help your child get started.

This guide covers the basics for children aged 4 to 8, using the friendly tennis monsters from That's Tennis, the children's book co-written by former WTA-ranked player Saša Klaneček and That's Okay author Chris Dixon.

1. Start with the court

Children feel more confident when they know where they are. Walk around the court together and name the parts: the baseline at the back, the net in the middle, the service boxes, the centre line and the singles and doubles lines on the sides. Make it a game: "Run to the baseline!", "Touch the net post!"

2. Learn the grips the easy way

Grips sound technical, but there are simple ways to explain them:

• The chopper grip (continental): hold the racquet like you are shaking someone's hand. It's used for serves, volleys and slices.
• The forehand grip (semi-western): lay the racquet flat on the floor and pick it up. However your hand grabs it, that's the grip.
• The two-handed backhand: the strong hand goes at the bottom in a chopper grip, and the other hand goes above it like a forehand grip.

3. Give every shot a character

Young children remember stories far better than instructions. In That's Tennis, each shot has its own monster:

• Super Serve throws the ball up high, gets into the "trophy position" and swings up to hit the ball above its head.
• Miss Forehand stands sideways in her "star position" and swings in a big rainbow from low to high.
• Mr Backhand uses two hands and scoops the ball like scooping ice cream.
• Footwork Kid does a little "split step" jump every time the other player hits, then runs back to the middle after every shot.
• Volley Girl guards the net and never lets the ball bounce.

Using the names on court ("Show me your Miss Forehand rainbow!") turns practice into play.

4. Use the right ball and court size

Children learn much faster with softer, slower balls on a smaller court. In UK children's tennis, younger players usually start with red balls on a small court, then move up to orange balls on a bigger court, before green balls and the full court. The slower bounce gives them time to get into position and hit properly, which means more rallies and more fun.

5. Keep scoring simple

For red ball matches, many events simply play first to 10 points, winning by two. As children move up to orange ball, they meet tie-break sets and short sets. When they're ready for proper tennis scoring, explain it as a staircase: 0, 15, 30, 40, game. If both players reach 40 it's "deuce", and you need to win two points in a row.

6. Make it about feelings, not just shots

Tennis can be an emotional sport. Every point is won or lost, often in front of other people. Teaching children to notice their feelings and calm their body is just as important as teaching a forehand. Try a balloon breath between points (breathe in like you're blowing up a balloon, then out slowly like cooling hot soup), or bounce the ball a few times and say "I've got this" before serving. Our post on helping kids stay calm and confident in tennis has more ideas.

7. Pack the tennis bag together

Let your child pack their own bag: racquet, balls, a drink bottle and a healthy snack. It's a small job, but it helps them feel ready and in charge.

Keep it fun

At this age the most important goal is that your child enjoys it and wants to play again. Short sessions, lots of praise for effort, and plenty of laughs will do more than perfect technique.

Learn tennis with magical monsters

That's Tennis brings all of this together for children aged 4 to 8: the court, the grips, every shot, calm tips for match days, fun facts about the four Grand Slams and simple red and orange ball rules for parents. It's available as an instant PDF eBook.