Tennis Ball Games for Kids

You can play more than tennis with a tennis ball. You can play catch or dodge ball with the inexpensive, fuzzy, yellow balls, but there are also many other games you can play if you put your imagination to work. You could even cut the balls in half and throw small pieces of candy into the tennis ball cups.

Arrange at least five kids into a circle; they should be sitting with their legs spread so their feet touch other players’ feet. Stand one player in the center of the circle. The kids in the circle will roll the ball back and forth on the floor trying to hit the person in the center who is the “jackpot.” The jackpot will avoid being hit by the ball for as long as possible. Whoever hits the jackpot gets to take the jackpot’s place inside the circle.

Give kids a large-mouth cup or a sand pail before lining them up so they are facing each other. Starting close together they will toss the tennis ball into the pail or cup being held by the person standing opposite of them. After each person has had a turn, both will take one step backward and repeat the toss and catch. The idea is to be the person who catches the most balls.

Mark a starting line and a finish line with masking tape and give each participant a tennis ball. The kids will place the ball in front of them on the ground at the starting line. When you yell “go,” the kids will use their noses to nudge the ball to the finish line. The first child to reach the finish line wins.

Fill six 2-liter bottles a third of the way with water. Set them up into a bowling pin formation on concrete or a linoleum floor. Use duct tape to make a starting point which the bowlers cannot step across as they use their tennis ball to bowl over the bottles. The person who knocks over the most bottles wins.

Cut a 2-inch slit in each tennis ball. Give the kids permanent markers to make monster faces on the balls. Then sprinkle popcorn kernels all over the floor and set a timer for one minute. Instruct the kids to use their monsters to clean up the floor. The child with the most popcorn kernels after the timer goes off is the winner.