Excited children playing football outdoors, building coordination and teamwork skills.

Tennis for Toddlers Where early learning meets sport

Looking for a fun activity for your little one with endless energy? Tennis for toddlers is an excellent way to promote physical, social, and emotional development through playful and safe activities. Discover how tennis can be adapted for young children and see practical tips to get started – whether at home or in a specialised toddler tennis group.

Main Benefits of Tennis for Toddlers and Young Children

  • Motor skills: Racket and ball play enhances balance, reflexes, and spatial awareness.
  • Socialisation: Group activities teach sharing, turn-taking, and interacting with other children.
  • Independence and confidence: Every small achievement is celebrated, helping children to persist and overcome challenges.
  • Healthy habits: Tennis can be a gateway to an active lifestyle from an early age.

How to Introduce Tennis to Your Child

  1. Adapt the environment: Use soft, oversized balls, lightweight rackets and a safe space (garden, playroom, soft mat, etc).
  2. Focus on play and games: Examples: throw and catch the ball, hit targets or baskets, push the ball with the racket, and other simple activities.
  3. Short, frequent sessions: 5 to 15 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week, are ideal to maintain interest and prevent tiredness.
  4. Always use positive reinforcement: Celebrate every bit of progress, no matter how small, and never focus on performance.

Recommended Equipment for Tennis for Toddlers

  • Foam or soft rubber balls, lightweight and safe.
  • Mini racket (light and small, designed for children up to age 4).
  • Low nets or targets (optional – for extra fun and challenge).

Tip: Find tennis classes for young children near you.

Frequently Asked Questions – Tennis for Toddlers (FAQ)

  • What’s the ideal age to start? From age 2 or 3, as long as it’s adapted and entirely play-based.
  • Does my child need lessons? Not necessarily! Parents can play at home, but specialist toddler groups help with social skills and motivation.
  • How do I ensure safety? Always supervise. Prefer soft play areas or grass, and use age-appropriate equipment.
  • Are there rules for toddler tennis? No! The focus is on fun. The aim is movement, exploration and celebrating each small victory.

Summary & Final Tip

Tennis for toddlers is a brilliant introduction to sport, supporting your child’s overall development. The secret is to keep it playful, patient and safe. If you’d like to know more about specialist programmes, contact our experts and book a free taster session!



A coach explaining an educational sports game to young children.

Our Educational Method

We use sport to boost early learning. Key skills like literacy, numeracy, colours, and shape recognition are a core focus in all our sessions.

Our expert coaches have years of experience coaching children from 18 months to 11 years.

All coaches hold Enhanced DBS Checks and Basic First Aid certification. We are fully committed to the safety of all children, parents, and staff, following strict safeguarding protocols.

Every game provides an engaging theme and a new skill to practise. So, whilst children are learning essential skills, they are having maximum fun.

Each session is filled with fun, energy, and varied movement, which helps to build their core coordination skills.

Stickerbook Rewards

The Stickerbook is an excellent way to showcase the children's program to parents and incentivise good behaviour and participation. When the nursery chooses to enrol, Children Sport League provides every child with a Stickerbook to keep.

At the end of each session, the coach awards each child one sticker to place in their Stickerbook.

The children are rewarded with certificates, medals, and special prizes as they complete pages.

A child's hand placing a reward sticker into the CSL Stickerbook.

Private Lessons

Children Sports League's Private Sessions are bespoke and specialised to help your child to improve their skills in football.

These Private sessions can run in your garden or a local park. You can also invite your children's friends to take part.

We ensure that our coaches are fully aware of your needs for the session. For instance, a 'Technical' session will be composed for football drills that will focus on teaching basic football skills.

You may also like a 'Fun Session', this session will be composed of games that will get the children moving around, and using a lot of energy.

A coach delivering a one-on-one private football lesson to a child.

Our Coaches

At CSL all our coaches have Enhanced DBS checks (provided on request) and basic first aid. Furthermore, sessions are run by coaches with 18+ months of experience, ensuring they are prepared for any occurrence.

Arthur, Lead Coach at Children Sport League, 7 years experience.

Name: Arthur

Experience: 7 years

Role: Lead Coach

Moises, Lead Coach at Children Sport League, 7 years experience.

Name: Moises

Experience: 7 years

Role: Lead Coach

Sophia, Lead Coach at Children Sport League, 2 years experience.

Name: Sophia

Experience: 2 years

Role: Lead Coach

Denisa, Assistant Coach at Children Sport League, 1 year experience.

Name: Denisa

Experience: 1 year

Role: Assistant Coach

Birthday Parties

Our birthday parties are 60 minutes filled with lots of fun games.

Your child will enjoy many activities, like a mini football match or fun games that improve their football skills and interests, making their day unique.

The team will receive a medal, and the birthday child receives a special trophy. For further information, feel free to contact us; we are always happy to help make your child's birthday special.

A happy child giving a thumbs-up during a CSL sports session.

Contact Us

We'd love to hear from you! Whether you have questions, feedback, or want to book a session, get in touch with us.