How to Teach Baseball to Seven-Year-Olds

Teaching baseball to a 7-year-old youth is dependent on the child's athletic background and skill. If he's already played T-ball, moving to baseball is a natural progression. If he's completely new to the sport, beginning with T-ball fundamentals is the first order of business. Baseball's many elements, namely hitting, throwing, running and catching, can take years to master. It's important, however, to introduce the basics to a 7-year-old child and let his skills progress over time.

Things You'll Need

  • Bat
  • Ball
  • Glove
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Instructions

    • 1

      Show the child the basics of a simple baseball swing, then give her the bat and show her how to stand in a batting stance. Explain how her feet should be roughly parallel, her knees slightly bent and her head turned to face the pitcher. Remind her to lift the bat off her shoulder; many children learning the sport stand with the bat resting on their shoulder.

    • 2

      Help the child shift his weight to his back foot at the beginning of his swing, then transfer the weight forward at the point of impact. Encourage the child to swing his bat all the way around, rather than stopping at the point of contact with the ball. If necessary, stand behind the child, holding his arms, to guide him through the swing process, before you ever introduce a ball.

    • 3

      Stand in front of the child and gently lob a soft-centered baseball to her. She may be nervous about the incoming ball at first, so make sure it's well away from her body and roughly in the center of her strike zone. Have her practice her swing repeatedly, remembering to be patient until she begins to get comfortable with the process. Once she can begin to hit the ball regularly, stand further back and throw the ball slightly harder. This process can take several days to master, so don't rush it.

    • 4

      Give the child a baseball glove in his size, and explain how to pinch the glove shut as the baseball enters it. Many children learning the sport are tempted to catch in the "basket catch" style, meaning to hold the glove at stomach or waist level with the palm facing up. Explain how it's better to hold the glove at chest or head level with the back of the glove facing your body, in order to "watch" the ball into the glove.

    • 5

      Throw the ball gently at the child until she becomes confident enough to catch it in the manner you teach. Toss the ball softly until she's no longer afraid of it, then throw it slightly harder and from a greater distance as her catching improves.

    • 6

      Give a ball to the child and have him hold it in his throwing hand. Show him a basic throwing grip of the thumb below the ball and the index and middle finger on the other side of the ball. Throwing an object is familiar to any 7-year-old child, but work with him to ensure he uses his whole arm, including the shoulder, to throw the ball. Many children throw from the elbow down, so explain how he'll get more velocity on his throws by using the whole arm. When he's learned the basics of the arm movement, demonstrate how to step forward with your opposite foot as you throw the ball.