{"id":24701,"date":"2023-12-15T14:34:48","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T19:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theactivefamily.org\/?p=24701---dfbb0773-42e1-427f-9b0f-aaa8e42f265e"},"modified":"2023-12-15T14:34:48","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T19:34:48","slug":"racket-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theactivefamily.org\/racket-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Easy and Fun Racket Sports for Children"},"content":{"rendered":"
Keeping your children active can often be a challenge.<\/p>\n
While there are a lot of sports to choose from, the list can be overwhelming. A lot of the time, your child may not know what they want to play until they\u2019ve tried it.<\/p>\n
It can also help to do your research beforehand. If you know that a sport is fun and easy to learn for children, perhaps your child may enjoy it more.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at our picks for the best racket sports for children which are fun to play and easy to pick up.<\/p>\n
Tennis<\/a> is a favorite game to play the world over. In fact, it’s one of the most popular games to play. Many tennis stars started playing the sport when they were children.<\/p>\n One of the reasons tennis is a great sport to teach your children is because it can be played either individually or in a team. It allows your child to learn how to play in pairs but also encourages their competitive spirit as an individual.<\/p>\n Tennis involves hitting a hollow rubber ball over a net situated in the middle of a court. Each player has a tennis racket that is strung with cord \u2013 which can be made out of many different materials.<\/p>\n If your child doesn\u2019t have an opponent to play against, tennis is a great game which they can practice by themselves. All you need is a high wall to prevent the ball from being hit over. Your child can enjoy hitting the ball against the wall and honing their craft.<\/p>\n Most tennis clubs welcome children and encourage them to start playing tennis as young as possible. If your child enjoys playing one-on-one against an opponent or in pairs, they will be glad they tried tennis.<\/p>\n Table tennis<\/a> is a smaller version of the classic sport of tennis, which means it can also be played indoors. Another term for this sport is ping pong. It’s an ideal sport if your child prefers games that are inside.<\/p>\n Another advantage to table tennis is that it\u2019s played on amuch smaller surface than traditional tennis. Don\u2019t be fooled by this, however.Your child will still work up a sweat when playing.<\/p>\n While table tennis can be played in pairs, most of the time,you\u2019ll go up against a single opponent. This is a great sporting activity ifyour child enjoys competing against a single competitor.<\/p>\n We love table tennis because it teaches children the moretechnical side of sports. In some sports, the general rules are morestraightforward than others. While table tennis is by no means complicated, ittakes technique and strategy to play a game like this.<\/p>\n Ping pong is a great option if your child enjoys using theirmind when playing sports as well as their body. It\u2019s also the kind of activitythat you can set up in the basement of your home \u2013 you don\u2019t have to worryabout joining a club.<\/p>\n The next fun and easy racket sport on our list for kids is badminton<\/a>. While badmintonalso requires a racket to play, the other side of needed equipment isdifferent.<\/p>\n This is because badminton requires a shuttlecock, instead ofa rubber ball. This is a white semi-circle attached to a plastic net basket.Your child will learn to hit the white semi-circle on the end and send it overa net to their opponent.<\/p>\n Like other racket sports, you can either play badminton inteams of two or individually. Like table tennis, it\u2019s typically played indoors.It\u2019s also another game that\u2019s straightforward, so it won\u2019t be hard for yourchild to pick up.<\/p>\n A badminton match is played to three games, and whoever winsthe most games wins. While this racket sport is played on a court with a net,this surface area is much smaller than a tennis court.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean that your child won\u2019t need to run aroundand exercise as a result.<\/p>\n Interestingly, badminton came from what was originally achildren\u2019s game, called shuttlecock and battledore. The net in badminton ishigher than in tennis, which means your child will need to hit the shuttlecockhigher to get it over.<\/p>\n Pickleball<\/a>is a lesser known variation of badminton. The most significant differencebetween these two racket sports is that pickleball is typically played outside,on a surface that’s similar to a tennis court. However, the size of the courtis closer to a badminton court.<\/p>\n Like most other sports that use rackets, pickleball is idealif you want your child to learn how to play individually against an opponent orin a pair.<\/p>\n The paddle used to hit the ball over the net is made ofsolid wood and has a smaller surface area than the rackets used in tennis andbadminton. However, it is slightly larger than those used when playing tabletennis.<\/p>\n Pickleball rules are also quite unusual and different fromother sports. Points are scored when the opposing player makes mistakes, whichcan include failing to return the ball over the net, stepping on the non-volleyzone, or hitting the ball out of bounds.<\/p>\n If your child likes a challenge and learns well from theirmistakes, pickleball is a great option when it comes to racket sports. They canuse either pair up with a friend or try this activity on their own, to beginwith, until they’re feeling more comfortable.<\/p>\nA Variation of a Classic: Table Tennis<\/h2>\n
Lighter Racket Sport: Badminton<\/h2>\n
A Variation on Badminton: Pickleball<\/h2>\n
Great Holiday Racket Sport: Beach Tennis<\/h2>\n