This Grandma is not athletic, but when Grandpa and I bought our children an outdoor ping pong table for our screened porch when they reached early school age (yes, that is what this was called in the 1980’s), I found something I excelled at. I could actually beat my children. The best was that the entire family played together and moved, taking us away from Nintendo, the pre electronic fixation. I felt the “sport” was also helping the children’s eye-hand coordination, concentration and focus.
Fast forward to 2016, and now table tennis is an Olympic sport and the leading U.S. player is age 16, the youngest table tennis player at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the youngest American to qualify to compete in this Olympics. He is a child of the 1980’s, who like our children, learned to play with his sibling. He was six and his sister was nine when he first played in his garage. His name is Kanak Jha, of Indian heritage, born in San Jose, California. Watching him play is amazing, not like how we play at home. Watch him play with your grandchildren here. Better yet, introduce your grandchildren to table tennis by watching him at the 2016 Olympics and YouTube will surely add his performance there.
Why? This is a perfect sport to share with your grandchildren. We bought table tennis as a housewarming gift for the parents of our oldest grandchildren when the grandchildren were about seven and four. Yes, they were just about able to see above the table and had to stand on a step stool to play. We knew, from our experience with our own children, that this was a gift for the whole family to grow together and a gift that gave us something to actively do with them in the winter when we visited. Now, over six years later, they easily beat us. Now, over six years later, they easily beat their parents. We often find them in their basement playroom with their friends playing table tennis instead of Xbox, and it brings a smile to our faces. We cannot but think that the skills they have learned playing table tennis have carried over into their other sports and life.
You can start with a $20 game that attaches to any table in the house, and , yes, typically, table tennis takes a lot of room, but they fold in half vertically and homes may have garages, basements or back yards. There are even apartment sized versions. It makes for a great holiday present for the whole family, and for even grandparents’ homes. Why should we Boomer grandparents not continue to work on eye-hand coordination, concentration and focus.
There are very inexpensive models for about $20 you can attach to any table.
Amazon has full size tables beginning at $150.
Amazon’s best seller is here.
You can also find these used in your local community. The reviews say they are time consuming and difficult to assemble and they are.
There are smaller models that fold. There is an expensive smaller model that folds that comes fully assembled.
Or a much cheaper one that comes apart to use as extra tables when there is company.
There are folding ones you can set up on kitchen or dining room tables and kitchen islands, and store in a closet when not in use. This one includes chess, backgammon, or checkers, all included with table tennis top.
There are even outdoor models for backyards or porches or to keep in a garage and roll out onto the driveway to play outside. There is a Kettler outdoor model that already comes with a cover, suggested for outdoor tables, and has the additional option of paying for local assembly!
Yes, you can spend more money on a tennis table than the choices in this post. Six years ago, we opted for an indoor Kettler that was the highest rated and more expensive than those listed. It still looks brand new six years later. Paddles have had to be replaced and many more balls purchased, but what that means is that the grandchildren, and we, their families and their friends, have spent many hours on our feet, laughing and talking, enjoying active play time together.
When you compare the price of electronics, financially, as well as physically, mentally and emotionally, table tennis not only affords improving the grandchildren’s eye-hand coordination, concentration and focus, but makes them more well rounded human beings. Literally, think out of the electronics box for the holidays 2016, or your next visit present.
The 2016 Olympics table tennis competition with an American teenager playing gives us the opening to work on and excite the grandchildren . . . and their parents to accept this oversized addition to their homes, and for us to save for a specific holiday present.
Joy,
Mema
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