Free drill library · Cross Country

At-home cross country drills for 7 to 10 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home cross country training for 7 to 10 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 to 13 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of cross country for 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Aerobic Base at home 13 minutes

  1. Talk Test Jog · 4 min
    If you can chat, it is right.
  2. Run-Walk Builder · 5 min
    Small steps, every week.
  3. Nature Scavenger Jog · 4 min
    Easy jog, sharp eyes.

Session 2

Pacing at home 13 minutes

  1. Guess the Time · 4 min
    Feel it, then check it.
  2. Same-Speed Loops · 5 min
    Same feel every loop.
  3. Traffic Light Pace · 4 min
    Know your colours.

Session 3

Aerobic base: Run-Walk Builder 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Run-Walk Builder · 4 min
    Small steps, every week. Safety: Drink water and eat a meal or snack before and after, run in the cool part of the day, and stop and tell an adult if you feel dizzy or sick. Thunder or lightning: go inside now and wait 30 minutes after the last one.
  3. Shadow Step Tag · 4 min
    Quick little steps, then go! Safety: Play on soft, clear ground away from roads and hard edges. Tag gently with a hand on the arm or back.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 cross country plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Talk Test Jog

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Learn what easy running feels like by jogging slow enough to chat.

  1. Jog with an adult or partner at a pace where you can talk in full sentences.
  2. If you cannot talk, slow down or walk.
  3. Keep going for 10 minutes, walking breaks allowed.
  4. Tell your partner one thing you saw on the run.

Coach's cue: If you can chat, it is right.

Bring: watch, adult or partner

Safety: Drink water and eat a meal or snack before and after, run in the cool part of the day, and stop and tell an adult if you feel dizzy or sick. Thunder or lightning: go inside now and wait 30 minutes after the last one.

Run-Walk Builder

Ages 7 and up · 12 min

Build your running time a little at a time with short walks in between.

  1. Run easy for 2 minutes.
  2. Walk for 1 minute.
  3. Repeat 4 times.
  4. Next week, add 30 seconds to each run only if this felt easy.

Coach's cue: Small steps, every week.

Bring: watch

Safety: Drink water and eat a meal or snack before and after, run in the cool part of the day, and stop and tell an adult if you feel dizzy or sick. Thunder or lightning: go inside now and wait 30 minutes after the last one.

Nature Scavenger Jog

Ages 7 and up · 12 min

Jog around a park with an adult, spotting things on a list as you go.

  1. Make a list: a red leaf, a bench, a bird, a big rock.
  2. Jog easy and walk whenever you spot one.
  3. Tick each one off.
  4. Keep going until the list is done or 12 minutes pass.

Coach's cue: Easy jog, sharp eyes.

Bring: park, adult, list of things to spot

Safety: Run trails and parks with an adult, stay on marked paths, and watch for roots and rocks. If you fall and hit your head, stop and see a doctor before you run again.

Guess the Time

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn to feel your speed by guessing how long a short loop took.

  1. Mark a 100-yard loop.
  2. Jog it easy without looking at a watch.
  3. Guess your time, then check with your partner.
  4. Do 5 loops and see if your guesses get closer.

Coach's cue: Feel it, then check it.

Bring: cones, stopwatch, partner

Same-Speed Loops

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Run short loops at the same easy speed each time.

  1. Mark a short loop on grass.
  2. Jog it at a comfortable pace.
  3. Rest 1 minute, then match your time.
  4. Do 5 loops; aim for each within a few seconds.

Coach's cue: Same feel every loop.

Bring: cones, stopwatch

Safety: Warm up first. Stop if a muscle feels tight or something hurts. Pain in one spot that gets worse each run, or a limp: stop and see a doctor.

Traffic Light Pace

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

An adult calls colours: green for jog, yellow for quicker, red for walk.

  1. Start jogging on "green".
  2. On "yellow", run a little quicker.
  3. On "red", walk.
  4. Play for 10 minutes and notice how each pace feels.

Coach's cue: Know your colours.

Bring: adult, open grass

Safety: Warm up first. Stop if a muscle feels tight or something hurts. Pain in one spot that gets worse each run, or a limp: stop and see a doctor.

Shadow Step Tag

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

A chasing game for a sunny day: try to step on your partner's shadow while they run and dodge to keep it safe.

  1. Pick a clear, sunny space with soft ground.
  2. One person chases and tries to step on the other's shadow.
  3. Swap roles every time someone is caught or every 30 seconds.
  4. Rest and drink after every three rounds.

Coach's cue: Quick little steps, then go!

Bring: sunny yard or open space

Safety: Play on soft, clear ground away from roads and hard edges. Tag gently with a hand on the arm or back.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: cross country

  • Running shoes that fit, water, and a hat on sunny days.
  • At least one full rest day a week (two for younger runners), and a hard day is followed by an easy one.
  • Eat enough to train: a meal or snack before and after. Never any talk of weight.
  • Pain in one spot that gets worse each run, or a limp: stop and see a doctor.
  • Run with an adult on marked paths, and walk steep downhills.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Cross Country: governing bodies, safety and development (9)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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