Tennis Ball Games for Kids

We have compiled some excellent tennis ball games for kids that you can play with kids, and which are cheap and easy to set up. 

All you need is some tennis balls, a few simple household objects and bit of imagination.

 It is extremely important to encourage kids to get outside and appreciate some time away from their phones, tablet and the TV. There are untold health benefits from finding time to play outside. It isn't always easy to find ways to to this, so hopefully these will give you a few ideas to encourage them to put down their screens and get some fresh air.

Jump direct to the games here:

• Distance Throwing
• Classic Catch
• Bottle Bowling
• Tennis Ball Transport
• Tennis Ball Run
• Bucket Ball

Some of the games require more than one ball. Having a stock of a few tennis balls is always useful - they can be used in so many different games. You can find some excellent value and great quality tennis balls from our friends at Sportsballshop here.

Here are a number of ideas of games you can play using tennis balls. Simple garden fun and a simple way to keep them entertained.

This game will work best in a large open area such as a park or sports field because you don't want to end up overshooting the garden fence and hitting your neighbour. You can find your local park by putting your postcode in here. This is also a very useful resource for playing several other of our ball games for kids - so save it in your phone for future use!

Mark out a point from which the thrower is going to start and then take it in turns to see who can throw the furthest. In order to make it easier to measure the distance it is a good idea to throw in straight line in an “over arm” fashion. You get a point each round and the winner is the first person to get three.

Sometimes the oldest are the best. This is a very simple but enjoyable game to play with the kids. See how many catches you can make in a row when stood a decent distance apart. If you have a big garden or play down at your local park you can play in large circle with multiple people.

If you are playing with younger children start very close together and then slowly increase the distance as they increase their confidence.

Find some plastic water or drinks bottles to form in a V shape. Use as many bottles required to form a decent sized target. The game is played with two people or more. Follow similar rules to those you would at a bowling alley ie you have two goes per round and the aim is to knock over as many bottles as possible. Keep score with this printable card through ten rounds and the winner is the player with the highest score.

You are going to need about 10 to 15 tennis balls to play this game and upwards of five people. Divide the players into two teams. One of them is going to stand in a line at the other end of a grassy area. The other is going to stand in a line about 100m away. Hand the first player the balls and they have to run to the team on the other side. They then pass all the balls to a player on the other side and the process is repeated. The team that loses the fewest balls is the winner.

Another very simple but effective game. Mark out a start and finish line . Players must race each other down the stretch with a tennis ball between their legs. If you drop the tennis ball you are out of the game. The first person to cross the finish line is the winner.

This game can also be played as a relay in a similar way to 'Tennis Ball Transport'.

Find a bucket of a decent size which isn’t full of paint or water and put it on the other side of the garden. You can play this game with two players, each player need five tennis balls. Taking alternate goes you must throw the ball in underarm fashion and try to get it into the bucket. The player who gets the most balls into the bucket is the winner.

There is a fair bit of flexibility in how you play these tennis ball games. Regardless of how you choose to play you will be enjoying some fantastic fun and exercise. If you have enjoyed playing these games - or have any others you like playing, don't forget to get in touch with us or tag us @theplayexperts .