Even though the kids are back in school, parents are looking to keep their kids busy with after school activities. Beyond keeping them active and out of trouble, parents want their children to build an array of skills, stay in shape, and be social.

There’s only one activity that touches on all of the above: tennis.

There Is No “I” In Team

It’s a cliche, but its’ true. Tennis is unique in that it’s predominantly an individual sport, but it can also be a team sport. Organized sports like tennis teach children the essential life skill of getting along with teammates and working as a team. They also encourage friendship and empathy for fellow teammates.

Improve Hand-Eye Coordination

Tennis involves several skills that all attribute to hand-eye coordination, such as agility, balance, coordination, and speed and reaction time. Read more about the benefit of tennis and hand-eye coordination in our article, “Help, My Kid is a Klutz”.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Dealing with losing will only make your kids stronger as they grow older. It will encourage them to be the best athlete they can be, but they’ll also learn the importance of perseverance and endurance and, most importantly, to never give up.

Stay in Shape

Playing tennis will burn over 500 calories an hour–even more when training!

Sport for Life

When choosing an activity for your child, think about the longevity of the sport. Sports like soccer, basketball, and football are physically demanding and also require a large group of people—both of which are hard as adults. But tennis you only need two people to play and it can be as physical as you want it to be. It’s not uncommon to see a group of seniors playing tennis in the park. When is the last time you saw a group of seniors playing football?

 

Do your kid a favor and sign them up for after school tennis. To help them work on their skills, find a PlayYourCourt pro near you for some one-on-one time.