⚽ How to run a fun practice for young kids
Young kids learn sport by playing games, not by standing in lines. Give every child a ball if you can, turn every skill into a game, talk for less than a minute at a time, and finish with a scrimmage. An hour flies by.
The shape of an hour
- Warm-up game (10 minutes): tag with a ball, or follow the leader with dribbling.
- Skill game (15 minutes): one skill, taught as a game. Dribble into the "gates", shoot at a target.
- Small-sided game (15 minutes): two against two or three against three, so every child touches the ball a lot.
- Water break (5 minutes).
- Scrimmage (15 minutes): the part they look forward to most.
No lines
A child standing in a line of eight touches the ball a few times in ten minutes. A child in a game of two against two touches it constantly. Split into small groups, and use every ball you have.
Talk less
Show the skill once, say one thing to look for, and let them play. Coach during the game with short words: "Head up!" "Nice touch!"
Make it a story
For four- and five-year-olds, a game with a story works wonders: dribble past the sleeping dragons (coaches), steal the treasure (balls) back to the castle. Peabody's practice plans for ages 4–5 are built this way.