My wife volunteered to be a soccer coach for 3-5 years olds, is their any games designed for that age group?

Question

My wife volunteered to be a soccer coach for 3-5 years olds, is their any games designed for that age group?

Answer 1

soccer is a game! play a soccer match

Answer 2

Actually at that age just getting them to do anything

Soccer related on the field can be difficult.  You

can be kind of inventive. With children 3-5 they

tend to want to get the ball at all costs, "Isolation

Soccer" or Bumble Bee Ball is what your going

to end up having on the field. So here's what you

do to make  Soccer Skills fun.

Play:

  Scramble = The child dribbles the ball a short

distance and then, he short passes to another

child.Then that child repeats the same. Problem?

Kids at this age don't have the Motor skills we wish

they would,and attention spans are very short.

This will work for about 5 mins if your lucky.

Pass, Trap,Set and Pass = This is a pseudo

drill of sorts. Put the kids about 12 feet a part

have them each take a ball. Have them short

pass, Trap,Stop,Set the ball and then pass

back to the initiating child. As long as

you maintain their attention, this drill will

work. So again be lucky if it lasts for 5 Mins.

Have them run, tag a player, take the place

of that player as the one tagged runs back

to the line of additional players. Do this in

2 lines so as to keep everybody involved

or they will get Soccer " Lost".

Crab Soccer =     Make small teams of

about 4 kids a team. Use 12 training cones,

4 for the corners of a square 30 feet by

30 feet, place cones on the corners and then

step off about  13 steps heel to toe and place

the remaining cones this far from each cone.

You will have 4 goal openings. The kids playing,

4 kids per team, will either sit down and lift

their rear ends off the ground with their hands and

legs or be allowed to walk bent over with hands

and feet both touching the ground at the same time

Object move the ball from one end of the field to the

other and put it through the Goal openings on the field'

Any of the four goals is fine, later make point incentives

for getting the goals on the two ENDS of the field like

playing the REAL Game.

The thing here is keeping games fun, attention span

is your demon, learn to exercise the demons LOL

Get my Drift.

Have them sit in a circle backs facing the inner circle

each child about  24 inches apart. Use 2-4 balls

depending on how many kids you have. This is

an exercise fun drill. Have the ball handed to the

right and then handed to the right again and again

until the ball travels all the way around the circle.

Reason for more than one ball is to exercise

all the "Demons" and keep their attention. Switch

up the ball direction from time to time. This

exercises the children at the waist and helps

stretch their trunk muscles. As they get more

and more adept have them stand up and do the

exercise   5 - 10 minutes is about as long as this will

last attention span wise.

Use your "Noodle" and make moving fun. This is like

a Soccer gymboree.

The whistle is Boss, use it, explain why you use it

and they must stop what they are doing and look

at you or whom ever has the whistle and pay

attention to what the person or coach has to say.

Lastly  Scrimmage, make up two teams to a field

5 players per team, Use a 30ft by 50 ft field.

Place cones on the Corners, and 2 goal cones

on the short ends 13 steps off each corner cone

on the 30 ft ends.   You have 4 field players and

goalie. start the game with the goalie rolling the ball

into play away from his goal toward the right or left

side of the field. A player must kick and or dribble

the ball in the direction of his teams scoring goal

which means the opposite end of the field. Do

Not keep track of the goals, all kids are winners

at this stage so just moving the ball is your

desired end result.  Parent Volunteer Referees

are used and enforcement rules are:

keep the ball  in Play.

after a goal or a save goalies roll the ball

to the right or left not in the middle of the

field in front of the goal. this eliminates

"cherry Picking"  the goalie can kick or

pick up the ball within 5 feet of the goal

no farther. To tell them apart use   5 "pennies"

or white T shirts  big enough to pull over

their exercise clothes.  These and the cones

a measuring reel tape and a can of white

field paint are the coaches "Best Coaching Aids"

Everyone plays goalie, switch frequently.

Use # 3 size balls,  and you should have enough

to cover the group divided by 2.

The most important thing be Objective, Keep It Fun!

A child " Soccer lost" is a distraction to your

ability to coach,don't be frustrated, it will happen.

Be understanding and make a few rules of order.

Most importantly Again

    .... keep it fun, for you and the kids.

  

In addition Exercise, stretching, running are all

necessary for proper conditioning, use common

sense. Don't over do it! They are 3-5 year olds.

Keep it fun, and your "Demons will be exercised!"

Answer 3

Like games to play at practice?

Try world cup. I use to love that when I was little and it will be great for the kids to work on ball control.

-Seperate the kids into two even teams

-Individualy give each kid a number (ex: 1-5 if there's 5 kids per team)

-Repeat for the other team but make sure to whisper to each kid so nobody else knows!

-Put each team standing in a verticle line to each side of you with you in the middle holding the ball.

-Call a number 1-5 (or whatever) and throw the ball in the middle.

-Both kids from each team that had that number come out and try to get the ball first.

------Once they're older they can start shooting the ball once they gain possession. For now I would stick with just trying to get them to fight for the ball.----------

GOOD LUCK!