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How to teach a child tennis at home, step by step

Updated 5 November 2026 · By Will, founder and tennis dad

Teach tennis in the order federation programmes use: movement and catching first, then racket control, then hitting, then rallying, then serving. Keep each game short and built around a challenge, like beating a score. Feed gentle underarm tosses, teach a simple forehand and backhand (ready, turn, swing low to high, finish), and praise effort and improvement rather than results.

What order should I teach tennis in?

You do not need to play well to teach the basics. Use the order federation programmes use. The USTA's first red ball unit runs: meet the ball, meet the racket, control the ball and racket, forehands and backhands, rally, then serve and rally.

Movement and catching. Rolling, throwing and catching come first. The ITF notes that catching helps children understand how a ball flies and bounces.
Racket control. Balancing a ball on the strings, rolling it along the ground with the racket and tapping it up.
Hitting. Sending a fed or dropped ball over a rope or to a target.
Rallying. Keeping the ball going together, first with a catch in between, then hit to hit.
Serving. A simple overarm throwing action, which the ITF recommends at red. See how to teach a child to serve.

The steps overlap. The ITF wants children to serve, rally and score as early as possible, so play a mini version of the real game in every session.

How do I keep it short and game-based?

Tennis Canada's beginner programme puts play first and last: a game, one skill, then a game again. Its rule of thumb is to run a practice activity for no more than two minutes over the child's age, so about 8 minutes for a 6 year old.

Give every game a goal. "How many in a row?" or "Can you beat 5?" turns repetition into a challenge.
Work together first, then compete. The ITF suggests practices progress from cooperative to competitive.
Finish with a game. The ITF suggests ending with points or a game close to real tennis.

For games, see Tennis drills for kids at home. For how often, see how much a young child should practise.

How do I set up a space at home?

The ITF asks coaches to mark the area clearly, so children can see what is in or out and where to aim, and to let children lay out the lines so they can set up a court at home.

A net. The LTA suggests hitting over a chair, bench or gate. A rope between two chairs works too.
Lines and targets. Chalk, tape, shoes or a towel. On a wall, the LTA suggests chalk or paper to mark a net and targets. See wall practice for kids.
The right ball and racket. In a study of beginners, players on scaled-down courts got more hits and more success than those using adult balls on a full court, and the slower ball and small court group enjoyed it more. Use red balls and a racket that fits: see red, orange and green ball tennis and racket size for kids.

Clear anything breakable, use foam balls indoors, and keep anyone waiting out of swinging range.

How do I feed a ball?

Feeding means tossing the ball for your child to hit. USTA and Tennis Canada activities use a gentle underarm toss:

Stand a few steps away, a little to the side, out of the swing.
Start with your arm in front of you, palm up, as the USTA suggests, and toss underarm.
Give it some height. The USTA advises very easy tosses with enough height for the child to track the ball, so it bounces up to about waist height.
Feed to one side, forehand or backhand, so your child can turn sideways to hit.
Then make them move. The ITF warns that feeding to the same spot does not teach children to adjust, so toss a step left or right once hits come easily.

To build a rally, the USTA goes from toss and catch, to trapping the ball and drop-hitting it back, to rallying.

How do I teach a forehand and backhand?

Keep it to four steps, the same on both sides:

Ready. Face the net, knees soft, racket in front. The ITF's movement cycle for every shot starts here.
Turn. Turn sideways as the ball comes. The USTA asks children to use their feet to turn their shoulders on every ball.
Swing low to high. Tennis Canada asks children to hit the ball out in front at about waist height. The USTA asks for a simple take-back and the ball coming up off the racket, so it goes up and over the net.
Finish. Follow through, then get back to ready. The USTA goal is to return to the ready position after every shot.

The backhand is the same four steps on the other side. The USTA notes a one-handed backhand may feel more natural at first, and some children add the other hand once they rally over a net. Fold it in from day one:

Walk the dog. A USTA game: roll the ball along the ground, knuckles forward, from spot to spot.
Backhand bounce-ups. From the USTA game Jacks: bounce the ball, tap it up once with knuckles up, and catch it. Then twice, up to five.
Backhand targets. Feed to the backhand side and score points for hitting a hoop or towel.
Mix it up. In any rally game, Tennis Canada's harder versions are "backhand only" and "alternate forehand and backhand".

What does it look like at 4 to 5, 6 to 7 and 8?

Age	Focus	Sounds like
4 to 5	Running, throwing, catching and striking games, as in Tennis Australia's Hot Shots Blue	Roll and stop the ball, catch after a bounce, balance a ball on the racket
6 to 7	Red ball: hitting and first rallies, as in Hot Shots Red (5 to 8)	Fed forehands and backhands to a target, rallies with a catch, then hit to hit
8	Longer rallies, aiming and serving. The ITF expects many children to move to orange at 8 or 9	Rally to a target, aim left and right, serve and keep score

Ages are a guide: move on when your child is ready, not by birthday. See red ball and orange ball games for each stage.

What should I praise?

The ITF lists what is worth praising in young players: effort, commitment, improvement from effort, concentration, attitude and teamwork. It also suggests showing children their progress, for example with a best score written on a card.

In a series of experiments, older primary school children praised for effort kept trying longer, enjoyed the task more and did better after a setback than children praised for being clever.

"You turned sideways every time" rather than "Good shot".
"You kept going after that miss" rather than "Never mind".

If a session goes wrong, see what to do when your child gets frustrated at tennis. When you are ready for help, kids' tennis lessons explains what a coach adds.

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This guide is general information for parents, not medical advice. Check with your child's coach or doctor about their own situation.