It’s hard enough to get 5-year-olds to focus for five full minutes. So how do you get them to pay attention to the proper soccer form for dribbling, passing, and shooting?
The trick, at this age, is to put learning in the context of a really fun game. That way, they won’t even realize they’re doing the work.
When a 5-year-old is beginning to learn soccer, it can be challenging because they are learning how to combine the skills and rules of the game.
In this article, I’ll explain how you can make learning soccer fun and straightforward, so every 5-year-old is interested in playing. Shall we?
1. CLIMBER (Goal-shooting drill with coordination tasks)
Our mountain climbing training exercise isn’t just about the shot on goal.
It is not easy to assign training exercises to certain categories because one category is usually not enough; the mountain climber is a good example.
The exercises at soccer training should be deliberately designed so that we do not train one-sidedly and use the short training time effectively.
Before the final shot on goal, the children have to master an obstacle course, which, for example, can be poles and cones. Various movement tasks have to be carried out on the course, from running backward and sidestep through to the complete ABC of running.
In one variant, you can require a very difficult coordination task directly before the shot on goal: the coach passes, and the goal is shot from the run.
Learning Objective:
- Motor skills,
- Coordination,
- Target shot or target pass.
Organization:
A goal, enough balls, and a goalkeeper are required. The balls are placed next to each other on a launch line. In addition, a start is marked, and a course is set up with slalom poles and cones.
Drill Procedure:
The children run forward through the obstacle course and take a shot at the end. Be sure to note the variations in this exercise.
Variations:
- Run backward through the course.
- Sideways run through the course.
- At each obstacle, the running direction is changed between forwards and backward.
- The goal is scored after a pass by the coach.
Tips:
- Change the goalie all the time.
- In larger groups, two children can start at the same time.
2. SEARCH FOR A PARKING SPACE (Coordination – training exercise)
Searching for a parking space is one of the few training exercises at soccer training that the imagination of us adults can easily reproduce. An everyday problem and the children often get the stress first-hand.
Two couples compete against each other. This is made more difficult by the fact that the children hold hands.
The coordination challenge is to find a good running rhythm; this is the only way to win the game.
If you form appropriately homogeneous pairs, this coordinative exercise will be a great success, not only for the rhythm but also for the fun of the game.
Learning Objective:
- Coordination of movements,
- Ability to react
Organization:
A group of children hold hands and form a circle. Two pairs of players move around the circle, also holding hands. A couple is traveling with us, one without a ball.
Drill Procedure:
The couple without the ball opens a gap by touching the hands of two players in a circle.
Now it’s about getting through the opening into the circle as quickly as possible. This is only allowed after the circle has been circumnavigated again.
The other two children also hold hands and dribble. They try to reach the gap first. The winning couple swap tasks with two children in the circle.
Variations:
- The ball is carried to start the exercise.
- The players of the winning pair each receive one point. Who has the most points at the end of the exercise?
- Make groups of three instead of pairs.
Tips:
- Fast and frequent task changes.
- Consider the performance of the children with the variations.
3. HOUSE BUILDING (Dribbling – training exercise)
This soccer children’s game is derived from the drawing game “This is Nicholas’s house”. In the drawing game, a house is drawn with exactly 8 sections without lifting the pen and drawing lines twice.
This drawing game has been transformed to be great fun in soccer practice.
Not easy and certainly not suitable for very young age groups, but you can make it work with 5-year-olds and have great fun with this game.
Discussions about the right way to dribble are allowed, and you should show a solution before you start. But, of course, the explanation is easier if the children know the drawing game.
Learning Objective:
- Dribbling,
- Orientation.
Organization:
Build a house with markers and cones. A group is placed at each bottom corner of the sketched house. Each child has a ball.
Drill Procedure:
Have the children dribble along the marker until they return to the starting position. No route may be left out or used twice.
Variations:
- Competition between groups is possible.
- The ball is carried in the hands.
- The course is run without a ball.
Tips:
- Pay close attention to correct execution.
- Trainers, supervisors, and parents help to find the running routes if necessary.
4. EUROPE TRIP (Team games – training exercise)
Learning Objective:
- Communication,
- Team game
Organization:
The exercise field is marked square. Divide into four groups with one ball each.
Exercise Procedure:
A group is placed at each corner of a square. Have each child dribble four laps around the square.
It is up to the children in the groups whether they dribble all four rounds one after the other or hand the ball over to the next person after one, two, or three rounds.
In total, however, each child has to dribble around the square four times.
Of course, the exercise also takes place as a competition. It’s a little communication game because the groups decide how to complete this task as quickly as possible.
Variations:
- The ball is carried in the hands.
- Running direction clockwise.
Tips:
- Compensate for long waiting times in large groups by setting up several practice fields.
- Ensure communication in the groups.
5. MASKED BALL
Help, where did the ball go? The children have difficulty seeing the ball because they are wearing a mask.
With the coloring variant, you can inform the parents beforehand because the children should bring the mask to the next training session as homework.
Children love such tasks, and designing their own masks is exciting.
With limited visibility, we go into the course, and we increase the feel for the ball because you don’t have to take your eyes off the ball; they already are off.
The masks should be adapted to the size of the face when they are cut out.
The masks limit the view and should, therefore, not be used in duels when there is a lack of space or with flying balls.
The masks are suitable for many exercises because it makes sense if you can’t see the ball well when dribbling or when receiving the ball. Feeling for the ball is the order of the day!
Learning Objective: Team play, dribbling, feeling for the ball
Organization:
Give the children a mask template to take home, which they should paint at the next training session and bring with them with a band (head attachment) or an already “styled” mask. The links to the PDF files are at the beginning of the text.
Of course, this exercise can also be done without masks, but then it’s only half as much fun. Mark a start and a finished rectangle for each group.
Drill Procedure:
The children put on their masks. If you don’t have a mask, the trainer will give you one.
The players can also borrow the masks from each other because the ball thieves don’t need one. The masks are designed to restrict visibility when dribbling.
Each group is assigned a starting rectangle containing many balls. These balls are transported to the target rectangles by dribbling.
There are 1 to 2 thieves in each group, depending on the number of children.
They pick up balls from the other teams’ target rectangle while dribbling, but with their left or right foot, and bring them into their own starting rectangle.
After the time has elapsed, which group has the most balls in the target rectangle?
Variations:
- No dribbling; the balls are carried.
- The ball thieves are also masked.
- Without ball thieves.
Tips:
- To be on the safe side, also make masks.
- The most beautiful mask is chosen and receives a small prize
Related: Home Soccer Drills: Improve Soccer Technique at Home (2023)