U4Soccer Games

Handbookby Steven McNalley. ©

Points to Consider

•Be aware of physical and mental limitations at this age level.•Keep in mind that this is a community soccer league not a competitve league.•The kids are here to have fun, be with their friends and be active. If they learn some soccer skills along the way, then that’s a bonus.

Choosing games for the U6 age group

•Choose games that give the children a lot of touches on the ball.•Invent games that have characters or situations that relate to children.•Avoid games that are “drill like”. In other words ones that have children standing in lines.•Avoid complicated descriptions. Instructions should be simple.•Choose some games that need parental involvement.•Do not spend too long on one game.•Choose games that are fun but also give the children a skill.

Hickory Dickory Dock Objective: improve ball handling and promote quick feet

• A simple warm-up that moves to the rhythm of a nursery rhyme.• At each word of the rhyme they touch the top of the ball with the bottom of their foot. • By switching feet at every word their feet move along to the rhythm of the rhyme.• Get them to sing along with you.

• As they get better increase the speed at which they get through the rhyme.

Rock-a-bye-baby (cradle) Objective: improve ball handling and promote quick feet• Another warm-up that moves to a rhyme.• By putting pressure on top of ball with the bottom the foot, children roll the ball back and forth from heel to toe mimicking the rocking of a cradle.• Most children this age will need some additional support while doing this. So get the parents to hold their hands so they can enjoy success.

Soccer Bees Objective: dribbling and changes direction.

•A dribbling game with a change of direction.•Tell the kids that they are bees and the net is their beehive.•Spread cones out at about 15-20 yards away from the beehive, this is the flower patch.•Ask the kids what bees like to make. Hopefully they say honey. Ask how they will make honey (they probably won’t know-Nectar). Now ask where they can get nectar.•Now demonstrate that with their ball they are to dribble (or fly) out to the flower patch and get one piece of nectar and bring it back to the hive. Once they put it in the hive they return to the flower patch to pick up another piece of nectar.•Repeat until all of the nectar is in the hive.•Make sure they keep the ball close and stop it when they pick up the nectar

Tiger Tails Objective: heads up dribbling and changing direction

•A great game for getting them to dribble fast and dribble with changes in direction.•You will need some pinnies, lengths or rope or anything that can act as a “tail”.•One child is a hunter and all the others are tigers. The tigers tuck the tails into the back of their shorts. •Mark out an area about 15 yards by 15 yards. This is the jungle.•All the tigers and the hunter have a ball.•Now get all of the tigers dribbling around inside the jungle.•Tell the tigers that you are going to send in a hunter that is going to try to take their tails. To avoid having their tails taken and becoming a hunter the tigers have to dribble fast and get away from the hunter(s).•The game stops when all the tigers are hunters.Easier versions:•Playing with no balls.•Hunter has no ball.•Two children as hunters.•Vary the size of the marked area (smaller makes it easier for the hunter, larger makes it easier for the tigers)

Red Light, Green Light Objective: controlled dribbling and learning skills.

•A good warm up you can use at the beginning of a practice while you wait for late arrivals. It has limitless add-ons depending on the skill of your players.•Set up two lines of cones (20 to 30 yards apart) that they know not to go beyond. When they get to these cone lines tell them to turn around and go to the other cone line. •All the kids have a ball.•The basic commands are; Red light (ball stopped with the sole of the shoe), Yellow light (dribbling slowly) and Green light (dribbling fast but in control). Transistioning from green light to red light will show which children are keeping the ball close.•You can add however many commands you like. Some suggestions; U-turns (turning the ball and moving in the opposite direction), Donuts (dribbling in a tight circle then dribbling straight again), Hot Rod (get them to do a fancy move that they make up), Backing up (pulling the ball backwards with the sole of the foot while walking backwards), you could set up a square of the same coloured cones and call it a parking lot (Blue parking lot for instance), place your net at one end and call it The Mall (they will naturally all try to pile inside!), add parents to the field and have them stand with their legs apart to become car washes (children pass their ball through the legs and collect it on the other side).•The skies the limit to what you can add to this game, just use your imagination.

Top Hat Objective: heads up dribbling•Create a starting square with your pylons (around 2 yards).•Now divide your cones into four separate piles (a “hat shop”) with each pile being around 10 yards from the corners of your starting square.•All the children have a ball and start in the middle square.•On your go the children dribble out to visit a hat shop where they collect one hat and put it on their head.•Once they have collected one hat they have to return to the middle square before visiting another hat shop where they will collect another hat and put that on top of the previous hat.•Continue until all of the hats are collected. All of the children return to the middle square where they count how many hats they have.•The children can hold the hats on their heads to make it easier.

What Time is it Mr. Wolf? Objective: dribbling and stopping the ball •A fun game where the kids can begin to learn how to shield their ball while moving towards the goal.•CRY ALERT!! Be prepared for some kids crying when their soccer ball gets kicked away.•Set up two goals 25-40 yards apart. Both will serve as start points and end points for each round of the game.•Have the kids start at the goal line of one of goals. All of them should have a ball.•Have a parent start as Mr. Wolf at the other goal line with his or her back facing the kids.•The kids ask Mr. Wolf what time it is. Whatever time they choose get the kids to advance the ball towards Mr. Wolf with that number of touches. So 6 O’clock would be six touches, after which they stop their ball and ask again.•When Mr. Wolf eventually calls “Dinner Time” the kids try to dribble as fast as they can to the goal that Mr. Wolf was in front of. As they do, Mr. Wolf will try to steal their balls before they can get it in the goal.• The kids who don’t make it join Mr. Wolf as part of the pack and a new round begins.•Continue until every one is part of the pack with the last kid caught becoming Mr. Wolf for the new game.

Marbles Objective: dribbling and passing/shooting.•This game will look like absolute chaos but the children learn dribbling, shooting and passing by playing it.•You can divide your team into two teams and play one game or divide your team into four teams and play two games.•Set up two cone goals 2 yards wide and spaced 20 to 30 yards from one another.•You will need a ball (call it the target ball) that is easy to distinguish as being different from the children’s. It could be a different colour or size. If the ball is bigger then it makes the game easier.•Every child has a ball.•Have the divided teams begin on their goal lines with the target ball in the center between the two goals.•On your go teams try to use their own ball to move the target ball towards the opponents goal and score. They cannot directly kick the target ball.•When a team scores the target ball is placed back in the middle and both teams start at their goal lines.

The everlasting Pile Objective: dribbling and shooting•A simple game to get the children dribbling and scoring lots of goals.•Place all of the balls in a pile.•Set up a goal about 20 yards from the pile of balls.•Have one parent stand beside the goal and one parent stand beside the pile. These parents will replenish the pile by taking the balls out of the net and passing them back to the pile.•Have the children line up on the goal line and wait for your go signal.•On your signal the children will run out to the pile and retrieve one ball and dribble it back to the net and shoot.•Once they have shot on net they then go back to the pile and get another ball to bring back and shoot again. Repeat.•Note: some children will love this game while others might get bored after going back and forth three times.•To make it competitive you can add a time limit. How goals can you get in 2 minutes.•To challenge their skill tell them they must drag the ball back with the sole of the foot when retrieving the ball.

Follow the Leader Objective: heads up dribbling.•An easily explained game to improve dribbling skills and promote looking up while dribbling.•Divide your team into pairs of two.•Every child has a ball.•Choose one to be the leader and one to be the follower (change it up after a couple of minutes).•The leader then dribbles around where ever they wish while the follower tries to follow their path as closely as possible.•To make it more exciting for them you could have them use their imagination to create a journey. For instance the leader could be the front engine and the follower the caboose. Use cones and parents to create obstacles and fun things to go through or around.

Numbers Objective: increase ball control and promote quick feet•A fun warm-up type game that teaches a variety of skills.•Set up a 10-15 yard box with cones in which all the children will be contained (containment is important!).•Every child has a ball.•Now go through the numbers one at a time showing them what you want them to do. Have them repeat the rhyming scheme when you call out each number.•#1 on the run (dribble fast), #2 sole of the shoe (move the ball with the sole of the shoe), #3 ball to knee (get them to drop the ball to their knee and catch it), #4 head to ball (with the ball on the ground have them place their forehead on it) and #5 staying alive (a John Travolta inspired move where they will switch feet on top of the ball while they sing and perform the Staying Alive chorus by the Bee Gees).•Once they know the actions for each number randomly call out a number and watch them perform each skill.

Stolen Meatballs Objective: Defending, dribblling and shooting.•A game that teaches the children how to take a ball away from an opponent.•The children begin at their goal without a ball.•Have the parents with the balls stand about 5-10 yards away from the children.•Explain to the children that the parents (meatball monsters if you like) have stolen meatballs and are going to eat them. On your go the children run after the monsters trying to get their meatball back. Once the children have the meatball back in their possession they try to dribble back and put it on the plate (in the net) while the monsters pursue them.•Parents can decide how hard or easy to make the game for their child.