Hockey drills for 6 year olds
At 6, practice skating and stickhandling: the skills the 8 drills SSTracker opens for 6 year olds train. SSTracker keeps one home session for a 6 year old within 30 minutes and plans at most 3 home days a week, with rest days between. Why: Ages 6 to 12 are the "sampling years": high play, low deliberate practice (Côté and Vierimaa 2014).
What a 6 year old can practice at home: drills the app opens at this age, what changes in hockey this year, how long and how often, what to have at home, and a free week to start.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated November 5, 2026
SSTracker follows USA Hockey on checking: none at 12U and younger, and a checking drill is shown only from 14.
Free, no account. A week for this sport and age, kept to healthy limits.
At 6
The age at a glance
- This year
- At 6, hockey is skating and stick play as a game: SSTracker's ages 4 to 6 plans have no checking and no positions. Body checking is not part of ice hockey at 6: USA Hockey allows none at 12U and younger, and SSTracker shows no checking drill before 14. Skating, puck control, passing and shooting come first.
- Drills this year
- At 6, SSTracker's plans are the ages 4 to 6 games: play with a ball, no positions and no contact. Beginner drills start at 7.
- Checking
- Body checking is not part of ice hockey at 6: USA Hockey allows none at 12U and younger, and SSTracker shows no checking drill before 14. Skating, puck control, passing and shooting come first.
- Gear
- Helmet with full face cage, neck guard, mouthguard and full gear on the ice. Goalies wear full goalie gear before any shot, with soft balls and slow shots first.
- At 6
- Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 6 hours for a 6 year old, with two rest days a week.
- At home
- SSTracker keeps one home session for a 6 year old within 30 minutes and plans at most 3 home days a week, with rest days between.
8 drills
Drills for 6 year olds
Every drill here is one the app opens for 6 year olds, at the level for the age. Each page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a practice log to print.
What you need at home
What you need at home at 6
9 of the 9 hockey drills for 6 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: beanbags or rolled-up socks (1 of the 9 drills), big soft ball or beach ball (1), bucket or a big box (1), cones, shoes or toys (1), ropes, towels or chalk lines (1), scarf or sock to tuck in a waistband (1), short plastic hockey stick (1), soft ball (1). 3 drills need nothing but space.
A week to start with
A free week of hockey at home
- 1Floor Hockey Push + Animal Parade15 min
- 2Rocket Run + Floor Hockey Push15 min
- 3Big Ball Catch + Rocket Run15 min
Questions parents ask
Hockey for 6 year olds: questions and answers
What hockey drills can a 6 year old do at home?
9 of the 9 hockey drills for 6 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: beanbags or rolled-up socks (1 of the 9 drills), big soft ball or beach ball (1), bucket or a big box (1), cones, shoes or toys (1), ropes, towels or chalk lines (1), scarf or sock to tuck in a waistband (1), short plastic hockey stick (1), soft ball (1). 3 drills need nothing but space.
How long should a 6 year old practice hockey?
Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 6 hours for a 6 year old, with two rest days a week. SSTracker keeps one home session for a 6 year old within 30 minutes and plans at most 3 home days a week, with rest days between.
Is body checking allowed for a 6 year old in hockey?
Body checking is not part of ice hockey at 6: USA Hockey allows none at 12U and younger, and SSTracker shows no checking drill before 14. Skating, puck control, passing and shooting come first.
What gear does a 6 year old need for hockey?
Helmet with full face cage, neck guard, mouthguard and full gear on the ice. Goalies wear full goalie gear before any shot, with soft balls and slow shots first.
What changes in hockey at 6?
At 6, hockey is skating and stick play as a game: SSTracker's ages 4 to 6 plans have no checking and no positions. Body checking is not part of ice hockey at 6: USA Hockey allows none at 12U and younger, and SSTracker shows no checking drill before 14. Skating, puck control, passing and shooting come first. At 6, SSTracker's plans are the ages 4 to 6 games: play with a ball, no positions and no contact. Beginner drills start at 7.
Free for families and teams
Turn this into your child's week
Pick the days and minutes you have and see a hockey week for 6 year olds, kept to healthy limits for the age, with no account. A free account saves it and shows progress against your child's own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.
30 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.