About 8 years ago, we turned the formal dining room into our Ping Pong room. When our daughter was 2 or 3 years old, our daughter would run around giggling, chase and pick up Ping Pong balls for us and she thought that was great fun. When she was around 6 years old, she wanted to play it too. It was easy to teach her. I told her that the important rule was to hit the ball back to me and make sure it would hit on my side of the table. The key was to practice playing it regularly. After I made that clear to her, she grasped the skills very quickly and pretty soon she was doing very well. She enjoys play Ping Pong with my friends when they come to visit us. I get some good exercises after I play with her for half an hour. This is a great way to have some fun when it is too hot or too cold outside.
Playing Ping Pong with me has become an event she greatly enjoys. I talk to her in Chinese about terms used in Ping Pong games. She enthusiastically learns how to use them as these Chinese phrases are related to what she is doing. I sometimes have some Chinese music on, or play her favorite singer, Taylor Swift’s CD, “Fearless.” She happily sings along many songs on this CD when we play Ping Pong. She is so happy and energetic when we share this Ping Pong activity together that I consider it one of our special moments.
This is what she wrote about the fun of playing Ping Pong: “I love to play Ping Pong with my Mom because I enjoy moving around the Ping Pong table in different directions when I try to hit the ball. When my Mom puts on my favorite music, I like it very much as it makes me really happy.”
I have included some photos of her playing with her friends at the recreation room of the local Chinese school.
I highly recommend playing Ping Pong to any parents who look for a fun activity to share with their kids.
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