How to Get Your Kids to Like Pickleball

Our little pickles cheering on daddy at his tourney!

As parents of two young kids (5 & 2 years old), we know how disappointing it can be when they don’t share the same excitement about something you love. We’ve made more mistakes than we care to admit. But after many dicey pickleball sessions, we are starting to see a turn for the better with our 5 year old! Here are a few things that have been working for us lately.

Keeping it Casual

That last few times we made it to the courts with our mini paddle pal, we made sure to keep the pressure off. We made it seems like going to play pickleball was a spur of the moment idea. Instead of telling him we were going to go play pickleball, we just asked “Hey! Wanna go to the pickleball court?” Luckily, our little guy said yes but we were prepared to let it go and skip the courts if his response was different. By letting him say yay or nay, we can feel him out and make him feel included in the decision. This sets a good tone for us getting to the court in a good mood! Of course, you’ll need to have a plan for what to do if the answer from your little one is ‘no’. Our strategy? We shrug it off and suggest another activity knowing we’ll try again another time.

Keeping it Loose

So you’ve made it to the courts (yay!!) and you’re excited to start playing with your little buddy. It’s a good idea to have a few ideas for games but also be ready to throw EVERYTHING out the window. When we first started playing with our littles, we tried to incorporate some games in drills we found for kids on YouTube that we thought would be fun. When we tried to teach the games to our kiddos we found out that they felt much differently. We made the mistake of just trying to explain the game MORE instead of ditching the game and finding another way to play. After making this mistake a few of times, we decided to take a different approach. The next time we made it to the court, we went in with the mindset that we were there to have fun and play with our kiddos and if pickleball was played for some of that time, it was going to be a win! This slight shift made a world of difference and our little picklers lasted longer on the court than ever before! So now, if after the first 10 minutes of pickleball, our session turns into a game of freeze tag, we let it happen. They may come back to the paddle, they may not. But at least we burned some calories and spent some time together as a family! Which brings us to the next one..

Our 5 year old in his too small superhero costume having a ball!

Keeping it Silly

This is our favorite one. Silliness is such a helpful tool to start out - and stay in - a good headspace with your kiddos! It can set the tone for a fun session and it can break up tension when it feels like things might be going south. Our 5 year old regularly wears a superhero costume when we go to pickleball. It’s AWESOME. It’s really hard to not have fun when you’re playing across the next from Spiderman. One of our go-to laugh-makers is making a super silly noise when we make a mistake. Served it into the net? Grunt like a gorilla. Little one makes a great play? Hype them up by throwing them over your shoulder and take them on a victory lap around the court. Want a really fun challenge? Set a goal to make your little pickler laugh at least 10 times during the sesh. You won’t regret it.

Leave before they want to

Okay this one sounds mean but hear us out! After hearing this advice, we gave it a try and it really does seem to help! If you leave before they are ready to go, you give them something to look forward to in the future. If you overstay to the point of being overly hungry or tired, you’ll risk negative associations with the time at the court. Since we started keeping our sessions shorter, it’s been easier to get out on the court the next time!

Just remember that having fun is really the key, especially for the younger ones. They’ll eventually find their footing in pickleball (or not) and with the right approach, they will keep choosing you as their favorite partner in the game — and life.

More Tips for a Happy Little Pickle

• Let them wear a costume. Bonus points if you wear one with them!

• Bring a bucket of balls. This will help your little one (and you!) not tire out as fast from chasing one ball around the court.

• Pack lots of water and ALL the snacks.

• Change it up often. Have dance breaks during your water breaks. Switch from playing across the net to playing off the wall (this is a great drill too!). Let the little one make up a game or two.

• On the way home, tell your little pickle how much fun you had playing with them and ask them what their favorite part was.

• Remember that progress isn’t a straight line and some days are going to be better than others. Stay positive and remember to have fun!

  To all you Pickleball parents out there - what are some things that work for you and your little pickles?? Let us know in the comments!