Tennis
Tennis is a fast-paced sport played with either 2 players or 4. One player competes against another in singles tennis. In doubles tennis, four players are split into two teams and the two teams compete. Children who aren’t interested in playing a team sport may enjoy tennis as an alternative. Playing tennis regularly can improve heart health, bone health, and improve hand-eye coordination.¹ It also uses many muscles in your legs, arms, and upper body, helping to increase your muscle strength. Tennis supports brain development by increasing alertness, which is especially valuable for growing children!
The first thing to learn about playing tennis are the different strokes (techniques for hitting the ball). Here are a few to get your children started:
- Forehand Groundstroke: In the forehand stroke, you hold the racquet in such a way that if the racquet wasn’t there, the ball would hit your palm. Wait for the ball to reach you, holding the racquet in front of you. As the ball approaches, swing the racquet at the ball with your arm and wrist relaxed. When the racquet makes contact with the ball, snap your wrist and follow through with the racquet over your opposite shoulder.
- Backhand Groundstroke: In the backhand stroke, you hold the racquet in such a way that if the racquet weren’t there, the ball would hit the back of your hand. Wait and hit the ball with a similar technique as in the forehand stroke. Except for backhand, pull the racquet to the opposite side of your body with your palm facing your body and the back of your hand facing out.
- Serve: Toss the ball up and fully extend your arm. Look at the ball as you pull the racquet behind your head and swing it back to hit the the ball.
The main difference between the forehand and backhand stroke is which side of your body you hit the ball on. If you’re right-handed, you’d hit the ball on the right side of your body for forehand and the left side for back hand (and vice versa if you’re left-handed). To learn more tennis fundamentals, visit https://www.usta.com/en/home/improve/tips-and-instruction.html.
Since tennis is usually played outdoors, make sure children wear sunscreen to prevent sunburn. Also, they should wear protective glasses or goggles. Such eyewear should be made with polycarbonate. Shoulder, elbow, wrist, and ankle injuries are common in tennis players, so advise children to practice proper technique and not to overexert themselves. For more tennis safety tips, visit
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sports/Pages/Racquet-Sports.aspx and http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/safety-tennis.html#.
Many parks have open-use tennis courts you can play on. Children who like tennis may also be interested in trying racquetball or badminton. Look at local sports equipment stores, yard sales, or thrift stores for rackets.
Tell us how your children enjoy playing tennis!
References
Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a children’s game that has lasted through the generations–and for good reason! No equipment is required and children enjoy making their own hopscotch spaces using sidewalk chalk. It’s also a great game for preschoolers to practice their motor skills by learning to control their movement while hopping on one foot.
To play hopscotch, draw a diagram like the one above using sidewalk chalk on asphalt or concrete. You can also play inside and make the diagram with tape. This is a great way to let your children get creative with making the diagram! The player going first should toss a small rock, small bean bag, or other marker onto the first space on the diagram. Whichever spot the marker lands on is the space they need to hop to. Hop on single squares with one foot and side-by-side squares with one foot in each square. Once you reach the marker, pick it up (still on one foot!) and toss it to the next space to continue. After the first player is finished, subsequent players may take their turns.
In addition to the classic way to play hopscotch, there are other ways to play. For more detailed instructions and hopscotch variations, visit http://www.parents.com/fun/activities/hopscotch/. See if you and your children can think of your own way to play!
How do your children play hopscotch?
Plan a Family Outing
What’s the last activity you and your family did outside of the home? It’s easy to suffer from “cabin fever” after being at home for awhile. When you and your family are feeling restless and need time out of your home, plan an active family outing!
Plan family events that involve physical activities (e.g. hiking, horseback riding, camping, water sports) to help your children get the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity. Hiking and camping are great ways to experience nature while Moving More. Water sports may be unfamiliar to you and your family, but there are many to choose from. If you have access to a net, give water volleyball a shot. You can even try activities like “Sharks and Minnows,” water aerobics, and diving. There’s also water polo and its more child-friendly version called “Splashball.” Finding horseback riding lessons near you can be a great opportunity to teach your children about farm animals and the importance of farmers growing our food!
For more ideas on how to be active as a family, both in and out of the home, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw7x-V8yMwg.
This weekend, try an activity you haven’t before. Share what you did and how your family liked it! Can you think of other family activities?
Ultimate Frisbee
Organized sports are great physical activities for children to learn sportsmanship, treating others with respect, and honesty. Ultimate frisbee may be a new sport to you and your family, but it can be a fun, unique game to play. It’s played like soccer and football, except instead of playing with a ball you toss a frisbee. Oftentimes, parks will have open grassy areas you can play on. You may even find a soccer field with painted boundaries you can use. You can also play more casually in your yard.
Throwing a frisbee isn’t hard once you practice it a bit. Hold the frisbee in your dominant hand with your thumb on top of the disc and your pointer and middle fingers on the underside. Twisting the opposite way (if you’re right-handed, move your body to your left), bend your elbow and then untwist and release the frisbee as you extend your arm out. Each team scores by completing a pass in the other team’s end zone. Don’t let the frisbee hit the ground or run with the frisbee. If you’re holding the frisbee, you have 10 seconds to pass it–just remember not to run with the frisbee!
Make sure the ground is free of debris and other safety hazards before you play. Also, take the time to stretch first since ultimate frisbee involves running and throwing! To learn official rules, technique, and “the Spirit of the Game,” visit http://www.usaultimate.org/index.html.
Start practicing your frisbee toss to get started!
Child Development
Recent research shows that our brains don’t finish developing until around age 25.¹ Children’s emotional, physical, mental, and social skills develop tremendously as they get older. Many developmental skills can be improved through physical activity. Find your child’s age below and try the corresponding activities with your child. These activities can help your child grow and develop while also getting their 60 minutes of daily physical activity!
6 to 18 months (Infants)
- Hiding games can help improve infants’ working memory. Hide a toy under a small cloth or blanket and once they can find it, try hiding it elsewhere and show them that it’s not under the cloth. You may be able to play hide-and-seek with older infants, or try hiding an object without them seeing and have them find it.
- Take turns doing an activity your older infant is interested in, such as picking up toys and cleaning. Children at this age often imitate what they see you do, so you can encourage them to participate in activities such as these that get them moving and work their muscles.
- Simple hand movements help infants develop self-control and memory. Try movements such as “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
18 to 36 months (Toddlers)
- Use materials like balance beams, balls, ramp inclines, etc. to help toddlers learn new physical skills. You can even create an obstacle course with objects such as these!
- Older toddlers can try imitation games like “Follow the Leader.” As the leader, you can have your children do simple physical activities such as walking, running and jumping.
- Games like “Freeze Dance,” “Popcorn,” and “Ring Around the Rosie” are active and promote active inhibition.
- Songs with movements such as “The Hokey Pokey,” “I’m a Little Teapot,” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” improve children’s working memory as the songs guide their actions.
- Simple hand movements help toddlers develop self-control and memory. Try movements such as “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
3 to 5 years old (Preschoolers)
- Encourage children to tell stories using their imagination and use physical movements to act out the story.
- Use materials like climbing structures, balance beams, see saws, etc. to help preschoolers learn new physical skills. You can even create an obstacle course with objects such as these!
- Quieter activities such as yoga and using a balance beam require children to focus their attention.
- Games like “Freeze Dance,” “Popcorn,” and “Ring Around the Rosie” are active and promote active inhibition.
5 to 7 years old (Younger School-Aged Children)
- Games like “Freeze Dance,” “Musical Chairs,” “Red Light, Green Light,” and “Duck, Duck, Goose,” and “Simon Says” are active and promote active inhibition. Also, “Mother May I?” and “What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?” promote mental tracking and challenge working memory.
- Four square, dodgeball, and tetherball help children learn rule-following, self-control, and fast decision-making.
- Children can start getting involved in structured physical activity such as organized sports. Sports can improve coordination and attention skills. Yoga and Tae Kwon Do are especially helpful in developing attention and control.
- Playing “I Spy” while walking incorporates physical activity and requires children to think and pay attention.
7 to 12 years old (Older School-Aged Children)
- Dancing can help children with self-monitoring, memory, and attention.
- Children can start getting involved in structured physical activity such as organized sports. Sports can improve coordination and attention skills. Yoga and Tae Kwon Do are especially helpful in developing attention and control.
- Jump rope and its related games (double Dutch, Chinese jump rope, etc.) are great aerobic exercise that also help develop working memory and attention.
- Hiding and tag games are active and promote inhibition and fast reaction times.
Adolescents (Teenagers)
- Adolescents may prefer competitive sports to games and activities they used to play. Organized sports help teens make quick decisions and respond to play while providing a great aerobic workout.
- Yoga and meditation promote a longer attention span while improving physical flexibility and reducing stress.
To learn more activities to help your child grow, visit http://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Enhancing-and-Practicing-Executive-Function-Skills-with-Children-from-Infancy-to-Adolescence-1.pdf.
Can you think of other activities that challenge both the mind and body?
References