Tennis Ball Games for Kids

Tennis balls are fuzzy, lightweight objects that you can use for kid's games. They bounce and generally will only cause injury if purposely thrown hard from a short distance. Use tennis balls in tennis practice drill games, as part of school activities or for birthday party games.

Tennis Bowling

Set up items that can easily be knocked over by a tennis ball, such as empty milk and juice cartons, plastic vases, plastic glasses, dolls, plush toys and lightweight books. Arrange them in bowling pin formation on a flat, smooth surface and instruct children to use tennis balls to try knock the "pins" down. Use actual bowling lane distance or make the "lane" a little shorter depending on the age of the children.

Throw Ball

Have one child and a parent/coach/chaperone stand on one side of the tennis net and another child and another parent/coach/chaperone on the other side of the net. Instruct one child to make an underhanded toss over the net and allow the ball to bounce once before being caught. Play this game to see how many times the ball can be bounced and caught without stopping or play so that participants gain points when their opponents miss the ball.

Clap and Catch

Instruct players to stand in a circle. Give the tennis ball to a player to throw toward another player. The player receiving the ball must clap once before catching it; if the player fails to do so, he is out of the game. Increase difficulty by using two or more tennis balls or by having players bounce and catch the ball before throwing it toward another participant.

French Cricket

Give a cricket bat or a baseball bat to one player and instruct the player that she cannot move her legs or feet but that she can move the rest of the body. Give tennis balls to other players, who must throw the balls at the legs and feet of the player with the bat. The bat player must use the bat to defend herself. Have one player lob a ball at a time. The players must pick up the tennis balls from wherever they land and throw them from that point. The bat player is disqualified if she moves her feet or legs.