Why Tennis is So Great for Kids, Plus Free Tennis Sessions for 5-8 Year Olds! | AD

16th May 2017

Keeping my daughter as healthy as possible is something that is really important to me, and I want to encourage her to start off her life being as active as possible so that she continues that way as she gets older and it can be something that she hopefully enjoys.

More free tennis sessions for 5-8 year olds have been released by the LTA - find out why tennis is so great for kids in this post.

 

Since she started school I haven’t taken her to any extra activities or clubs as she has been so exhausted at the end of every school day. Now she is getting a bit more settled and used to the routine of school it seems like the perfect time for her to join in with something away from school, especially as the weather gets nicer.

So I’m excited that we’re going to be joining in with the brilliant free tennis sessions that are available for 5-8 year olds this summer. We’ve partnered up with Charly from Podcast Dove whose daughter attended the free sessions last year and loved them, and she’s been telling us all about them and how good they were. You can find Charly’s post here.

I think it’s such a great initiative to get kids more active and help them to learn lots of really valuable new skills. Last year, the LTA coached nearly 14,000 children through the initiative. This year, the sessions have been hugely popular already, with over 20,000 places quickly filling up! Due to popular demand, the Lawn Tennis Association have opened up some extra places around the country – but I’m sure these will go quickly too, so sign up straight away if you want your 5-8 year old to join in this year!

The #TennisForKids project along with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), are encouraging children to get a FREE taste of tennis, discovering what a great family sport it can be with these amazing free sessions all across the country. At the end of the #TennisForKids sessions, children receive a free tennis racket that is theirs to keep! You can find your local tennis club and sign up on the ClubSpark website here.

The #TennisForKids programme is specially tailored to keeps kids engaged, even if they’ve never picked up a racket before. It includes ball games to help with hand-eye coordination, softer balls well-suited for beginners, playing on a more manageable mini-tennis court, and coaches trained in getting young novices excited and having fun.

I’m so excited for Ava to start her sessions next month, and so is she! She loves getting involved when I exercise and she really enjoys P.E and Multisports at school, so I think this will be great for her.

More free tennis sessions for 5-8 year olds have been released by the LTA - find out why tennis is so great for kids in this post.

 

Here’s why tennis is so great for kids

Increases hand-eye co-ordination

Playing tennis works both your fine and gross motor skills so children playing the game will strengthen both of these important muscle groups. Tennis is great for developing hand-eye co-ordination skills in kids.

It is social and fun, and encourages teamwork

Tennis can be great for developing a child’s social skills and increasing their confidence – which I’m really hoping happens with Ava. It is also great for teaching them good sportsmanship – respecting one another and working together as a team – which I think is something most children could do with!

Tennis is a social sport and is great fun for kids to get involved with, out in the fresh air, whilst making new friends.

Teaches new skills

From how to hold a racket to developing a rally, tennis teaches kids loads of new skills. It also helps them with speed, agility, flexibility and balance.

Keeps kids healthy and active

Tennis is a great way to keep kids active and fit. It involves lots of running around and quick movements, so it is great for their cardio health, as well as their mental ability.

 

I’m super excited to be going to these sessions with Ava, and I can’t wait to watch her having fun, meeting new people, and learning some new skills!

I will post about the experience once we have started in June – so keep an eye out for that!

Disclosure: I’m working with the Lawn Tennis Association and BritMums in a paid relationship, showcasing the FREE tennis sessions for children you can take up at your local club. The Tennis For Kids programme filled up quickly in 2017, but the LTA has since released limited additional courses so check https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/tennisforkids for places at your local club. There are plenty of other great ways to get involved in tennis over this summer. Great British Tennis Weekend will be back on the 13th and 14th of May and also the 22nd and 23rd of July.

5 responses to “Why Tennis is So Great for Kids, Plus Free Tennis Sessions for 5-8 Year Olds! | AD”

  1. How exciting for Ava to be starting her sessions soon! It is such a great initiative from the LTA and the kids who complete the course also get a free racket so it’s a win-win! Wishing her the best of luck!

    • Lou says:

      I know, we’re so excited! 🙂 It’s brilliant isn’t it! I still can’t believe they are completely free! She will love having her own racket xx

  2. Nadia says:

    I hope my two year old will learn it some day. It’s a great game.

    • Lou says:

      You should sign them up in a couple of years! I’ve always been awful at it, but I wish I’d learnt how to play properly when I was as young x

  3. Charly Dove says:

    I cannot wait to hear how Ava gets on Lou, it’s such a great initiative. POD has so much fun last year when she did it from learning which hand her racket should be held in, to ball skills and of course tennis positions. We found the course really well thought through and the coaching was great. Lots of entertaining moments and great memories too. Keep us posted on how it’s going.

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