Billiards for the Kids

Playing pool can be not only fun for children, but it can also teach them great skills, such as hand-eye coordination, self control and conceptual thinking. Pool is a game that deals with the fundamentals of geometry and physics. It also teaches socialization -- and children don't have to be athletes to play.

The game of pool is at least 500 years old, with only chess having been in continuous play longer. The game of billiards began sometime in the 12th century and resembled lawn croquet, with wickets instead of holes in the table. Pockets were added in the late 1700s. Famous enthusiasts of the sport include Mozart, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, George Washington, Charles Dickens, Theodore Roosevelt, Lewis Carroll, W.C. Fields, Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason. In the movie "Amadeus," Mozart bounces a billiard ball from one hand to the other while trying to decide whether to go back to composing or join the guys downstairs for a game of pool.

There is a common misconception that most pool games are played in pool halls. According to pool table sales records, more pool is played in homes, bars come in second, and pool halls place third. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, 32 million people play billiards in the United States, ranking the sport 11th in overall participation, ahead of golf, softball and tennis.

Pool also teaches advance planning skills similar to that of chess. For example, choosing a shot that gives the pool player the chance to make additional shots before their opponent does is more important than choosing a shot that gives the pool player immediate gratification. By playing pool, children not only improve their eye-hand coordination, they learn sportsmanship and appreciate the complexity of the game. They need to think not only of how will they make a shot, but where they want the cue ball to end up for the next shot. Visual perception skills are enhanced by the game of pool as well as visual cognitive and sequential processing skills.

Waiting and self-control are two important basic skills for children and practicing patience at an early age helps children to improve interpersonal relationships and social skills. Teaching patience to children at an early age not only reduces embarrassing moments in public, but also helps them grow up to be empathizing individuals who can cope with challenges better in life.

Pool also demonstrates the concept of risk versus reward and is an exercise in discipline, in which the player learns the value of emotional control. Young pool players have to learn to wait for their turn and think of how to plan a strategy to win. Almost anyone can play pool - even your child.