Soccer drills at home for 6 year olds

At a glance

At 6

16 soccer drills the app opens for a 6 year old work at home, across 5 skills.

How long

15 minutes is a full session and 10 minutes is a quick one: a few games of about three minutes, with a rest between.

How often

A few short sessions a week at most, with days off. Free play counts too.

What you need

Most used: size 3 soccer ball (9 of the 16 drills), beanbags or rolled-up socks (1), big soft ball or beach ball (1), bucket or a big box (1), cones or shoes (1), cones, shoes or toys (1), rope or line of cones (1), ropes, towels or chalk lines (1). 2 drills need nothing but space.

Safe at home

One child and one parent in a room, garage or yard. Never tackling, contact, diving or head-first falls, no stunts or loaded lifting, and nothing that needs a coach, rink, pool or court. Stop when anything hurts.

16 at-home drills

Soccer drills for 6 year olds to do at home

Every drill below is one the app opens for a 6 year old and one that works at home: a room, garage or yard, one parent as the partner, no venue. Each drill's page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a log to print.

dribbling

Dribbling

• Sleepy Monster DribbleAges 4 to 6 · 3 min
• Squish the BugAges 4 to 6 · 3 min
• Throw to the BucketAges 4 to 6 · 3 min

fitness

Fitness

• Animal ParadeAges 4 to 6 · 3 min
• Frog Jump the RiverAges 4 to 6 · 3 min

pace & agility

Pace & Agility

• Rocket RunAges 4 to 6 · 3 min
• Tail TagAges 4 to 6 · 3 min

passing & receiving

Passing & Receiving

• Clear Your YardAges 4 to 6 · 3 min
• Pass Through the TunnelAges 4 to 6 · 3 min

shooting

Shooting

• Knock Down the BottlesAges 4 to 6 · 3 min
• Score in the Little GoalAges 4 to 6 · 3 min

A 15-minute session

A home soccer session for a 6 year old

A warm-up, 3 drills and a cool-down, 15 minutes in all. Do it up to a few times a week, with rest days between.

1. 1Soccer Warm-Up Games, Ages 4 to 6A 3-minute warm-up game for soccer at ages 4 to 6: follow the leader, animal walks, a freeze game, soft landings and a little soccer play. No lines, no waiting.3 min
2. 2Grown-Up Says DribbleSay: "Dribble, dribble. When I call a body part, touch the ball with it!" Praise the try: “Quick stop! Great listening.”3 min
3. 3Pass Through the TunnelSay: "Pass the ball through the tunnel to me!" Praise the try: “Through the tunnel! Nice side-of-the-foot pass.”3 min
4. 4Clear Your YardSay: "Kick all the balls out of your yard into mine!" Praise the try: “Great kicking! You used both feet.”3 min
5. 5Soccer Calm-Down Stretches, Ages 4 to 6A 3-minute calm-down for soccer at ages 4 to 6 after play: slow breathing and animal stretches, each held for a slow count of 5.3 min

At 6

What changes in soccer training at 6

Six is the last year of the ages 4 to 6 games: beginner drills start at seven.

At 6 SSTracker's home plans are games of about three minutes each, with a rest between.

Before six, play comes first: organized sport is not the goal, and rest days and other sports count (American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)).

The week

Fitting soccer into a week at 6

At 6, a week is a few 15-minute sessions at most: under an hour in all, a small part of the day. The rest is free play, which is the point.

The research behind it

• Most children are ready for organized sport at about age 6; before that, young children need ample free play every day.

  American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)

• Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week.

  NATA youth sport specialization recommendations

• Parents' praise of young children's effort predicted the children believing, years later, that ability can grow, and enjoying challenges.

  Gunderson et al. 2013

Questions and answers