Game version
Play follow the leader: your child leads one move, then you lead one, swapping until every move has had a turn.
Rugby Warm-Up Games, Ages 4 to 6
A 3-minute warm-up game for rugby at ages 4 to 6: follow the leader, animal walks, a freeze game, soft landings and a little rugby play. No lines, no waiting.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
- Ages
- 4 to 6
- Time
- 3 min
- When
- Before training
- Bring
- Soft ball
Before training
- 01Follow the leader
- 02Animal walks
- 03Traffic lights
- 04Hop and stick
- 05Ball friends
The steps
How it goes
- Follow the leader: your grown-up leads a slow jog around the space, then marching with high knees.
- Animal walks: a few steps each of bear crawl, frog jumps and crab walk.
- Traffic lights: green means jog, yellow means walk, red means freeze on one foot.
- Hop and stick: 5 hops on two feet, landing quietly like a cat.
- Ball friends: carry the ball in both arms and jog around the space, then toss and catch it with your grown-up.
Coaching points
- Keep everyone moving: no lines and no waiting.
- Soft, quiet landings, like a cat.
- It is play, not a test: praise the trying.
Safety: Play on grass or a soft, flat, clear space with nothing to trip on. Stop for a drink and a rest whenever they want one.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Story
Zoo morning: wake up as a slow bear, hop like a frog, then tiptoe like a cat so nobody hears you land.
Practice makes progress
Start every session this way
In SSTracker every planned session starts with the warm-up for the child's age and ends with the cool-down, so the habit is built in.
Free for families and teams
Save the week with this routine built in, free
Sign up and the free rugby week opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits for the age, with progress your child sees against their own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.
14 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.