Bounce, Hit and Into the Sheet

We hang a sheet on a rope like a net, and children let a foam ball bounce and hit it with a cardboard racket so it smacks into the sheet. It is a first taste of mini tennis that works on hitting after the bounce.

How to play

1. The teacher hangs a sheet on a rope between two posts or trees, reaching almost to the ground, and explains that it is our tennis wall (2 min).
2. No racket yet: we drop the ball, it bounces, and we push it with an open hand toward the sheet (3 min).
3. With the racket: drop, wait for the bounce and hit gently toward the sheet (4 min).
4. When the ball hits the sheet we shout "Plop!" and everyone fetches their ball at the same time when the teacher says "Pick up!" (3 min).
5. We sit in front of the sheet and each child shows how they hold the racket (2 min).

Rules

• I wait for the ball to bounce before I hit.
• I hit toward the sheet, never toward a friend.
• We all pick up at the same time when the teacher says so.

Variations

Adaptations

• Less skill: use a bigger ball, such as a beach ball, which bounces more slowly.
• Limited mobility: a partner drops the ball beside the wheelchair and the child hits from sitting.
• Autism: give each child a marked spot facing the sheet and always the same ball.

Learning goals

• Hit a ball with a racket after a bounce.
• Aim the hit at a big target.
• Respect pick-up time to play safely.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cardboard rackets: 25
• Foam balls: 25
• Old sheet: 1
• Rope: 1
• Clothespins: 10

Teacher tip

The sheet means no lost balls, and kids love the "plop". Line the children up in a single row facing the sheet; the typical mistake is hitting before the bounce, so call out "bounce... and now!".

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