Soccer activities for five-yr-olds are simple and fun!

Whether you are a youth soccer league coach or looking for some soccer drills to do in your backyard, I got y'all covered.

Quick Links: (28) Soccer Activities for 5-year-olds

  • Dribbling/Ball Treatment (Drills one-9)
  • Passing/Trapping (Drills 10-14)
  • Shooting (Drills fifteen-20)
  • Defensive Drills (Drills 21-23)
  • Goalie Drills (Drills 24-28)


Luckily, with my experience educational activity unproblematic physical education to a wide variety of kids ages, I take developed a list of 28 FUN Soccer Activities for 5-year-olds.

Before we get into the activities, you need to make sure you have the correct equipment!

Dribbling and Ball Handling Drills

Learning how to distill the soccer ball is one of the essential skills in the game!

Dribbling allows you to motility the ball upwards the field, move around defenders, and allow you the chance to score a goal!

Dribbling Tips

Utilize the following dribbling tips when teaching beginners soccer.

a. Use the inside/exterior of your feet.

b. You need to use both of your anxiety.

c. Under command

d. Short taps

eastward. Proceed your optics up!

Drill #1: Distill in an open playing field

This is as simple as it gets! But this is a perfect soccer drill for 5-yr-olds.

Equipment

  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • Find an open space in your backyard or driveway.
  • Take your child exercise dribbling the soccer ball past using little kicks, keeping the brawl in command, and using the within and outside of their feet.

Drill #2: Volcano

Once your five-yr-onetime understands how to dribble the ball, add some obstacles in the mix!

Equipment

  • soccer ball
  • cones

Instructions

  • In an open area, fix some cones randomly.
  • Your kid should dribble throughout the volcanoes (cones) without hitting them!
  • If they hit a volcano, they should practice a set of 10 jumping jacks or 10 ball taps before returning through the course.

Cheque out a video of this activity to run into how it works!

Drill #three: The Tunnel

The tunnel is a uncomplicated and fun manner to start to practice aiming and ball-handling skills!

Even though these activities seem too easy, they are PERFECT soccer drills for beginners!

Equipment

  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • Stand with feet in a straddle position, making a tunnel germination.
  • Have your child use the within of their human foot to kick the ball through the tunnel, t his works on aiming skills .
  • If yous have other people in your family who are playing, line them up, so in that location are a few tunnels they have to go through.

Drill #4: Obstacle Class

Obstruction courses are a fun style to get kids active! They love seeing all the equipment set up for them to apply.

These drills are neat to piece of work on agility and dribbling, ball-handling skills!

Equipment

  • soccer ball
  • stopwatch
  • cones
  • do ladder
  • tunnel
  • hula hoops
  • passing arcs

Instructions

  • Using the equipment listed above, create an excellent obstacle course for your kid to dribble through.
  • These tin exist created for just one player or a team!

I absolutely love this business relationship, he created really wonderful tutorials on soccer drills. Cheque out his video below to see a great obstacle course set.

Drill #5: Freeze!

Equipment

  • soccer balls

Instructions

  • Let your kid dribble the soccer ball freely in the playing area.
  • When yous say FREEZE, they should stop dribbling and trap the ball with one foot.
  • This works on brawl handling, dribbling, and trapping skills.

Drill #vi: Inside/Outside Circles

Does your five-year-old kick with their toes instead of using the inside/outside of their feet?  If then, this is a perfect drill to piece of work that.

Equipment

  • soccer brawl
  • poly spots

Instructions

  • Tell your kid that they can only apply the inside function of their feet for this drill.
  • Identify the soccer ball on the ground and have them boot the ball in a circle germination by placing poly spots on the ground so they have an idea where to motion the brawl to.
  • After they have repeated this several times, switch to having them work on the exterior of their feet.
  • They should do using both feet inside and outside for better ball control!

Drill #seven: Side to Side Taps

Here's another quick and easy brawl-handling soccer drill for 5-year-olds.

Equipment

  • soccer ball
  • cones

Instructions

  • This drill works on using the inside of your feet for good brawl control.
  • Have your child kick the ball back and forth betwixt their two anxiety using the inside of their feet.
  • At first, they will showtime slow, every bit they get skilful at this drill, they can do this a niggling faster.

Drill #eight: Dribbling Speedway

This is a fun activeness to practise with a group of people!  I take done this in my concrete education classes, and the kids relish information technology!

Equipment

  • cones
  • soccer balls

Instructions

  • A fun introduction to this can be to ask the kids if they have e'er seen a NASCAR race and explain that they volition all be pretending that they are racing on the speedway with their soccer balls!
  • Place the cones in a large circle formation to make the speedway.
  • Each child should accept a soccer brawl. On the GO signal, everyone will first dribbling at the same time in the same management.
  • This game aims to try to run into how fast they can dribble while keeping the ball in command.
  • Explain that they should use the within/outside of their feet because they want to keep the ball close to their bodies.
  • Kids should count to come across how many laps they tin become before the whistle is blown.

Drill #nine Red Lite Green Low-cal Soccer

Kids dear the game Ruddy Calorie-free Light-green Light!

This is a perfect dribbling and ball-handling action for first soccer players!

Equipment

  • soccer balls

Instructions

  • The coach/parent will stand on i side of the court.
  • Each child volition get a soccer brawl and they will stand up at the reverse cease!
  • When the adult says green low-cal, they will dribble the soccer ball towards the adult.
  • When the developed says ruby light, the kids will trap the ball where they are. If they don't, they volition have to start back at the first.
  • The goal is to try to exist the commencement role player to go to the adult!

Passing and Trapping Drills

Passing and trapping are essential for beginners to learn how to play soccer!

Kids need to learn the importance of using their teammates!

Passing Tips

ane. Non-kicking foot next to the ball.

2. Use the inside of your foot.

iii. Contact the ball in the eye.

four. Follow through, so your kicking foot goes to your target.

Trapping Tips

ane. Make it forepart of the soccer ball to trap it.

two. Relax the torso part yous are trying to trap with (inside of your human foot or bottom of the pes).

Drill #x: Partner Passing and Trapping

This is the perfect activity for beginner soccer players to learn how to pass the ball!

Equipment

  • soccer brawl
  • cones

Instructions

  • Stand well-nigh 8 feet beyond from your child to starting time.
  • Prove them how to pass and trap using the tips in a higher place.
  • They will pass the ball to you lot, and you will trap it and vice versa repeatedly.
  • Take a few steps back if they are doing well and want to try to kick the ball a little farther!

Not challenging enough? Add in cones and pass back and forth, trying to go the brawl in-between the cones to your partner!

Drill #xi: Pressure Passing

Want to go your family unit involved? This is a great activity for even a small family to do passing skills!

Equipment

  • Cones
  • soccer balls

Instructions

  • Brand a medium-sized circle formation with a set of cones for every person that'south playing.
  • One person will be chosen to stand in the middle of the circle while the others are placed near a cone on the border of the circle.
  • A player on the edge of the circle will pass ane soccer ball to the person in the center.
  • The player in the middle volition trap the ball and pass it to someone else on the border of the circle.
  • Another ball is added in after the first ball is passed onto someone else.
  • There should be 4 soccer balls added for this age level.
  • Switch who is in the heart after a few minutes of play!

Drill #11: Pickle in the Middle

Kids love the game pickle in the center! Making this a soccer activity volition be both fun and challenging for the kids!

Plus, information technology's ever irresolute, which is my favorite part, the kids always have to exist trying their best!

Equipment

  • soccer ball
  • cones

Instructions

  • You need to have at least three people to play this game.
  • 2 players will exist standing across from i some other while the last player acts equally a defender in the heart.
  • The people who laissez passer the ball receive 1 indicate for each fourth dimension they tin can successfully make it to one another without getting the brawl intercepted.
  • If the ball gets stolen from the player in the eye, the person who kicked the ball switches with them.

Drill #thirteen: Looped Passing Drill

This is a piddling scrap more of a complicated drill, but it works on passing and brawl-handling skills!

Equipment

  • cones
  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • Set up ii cones a few feet across from one another.
  • Have your child kickoff with the ball, and they should pass the ball to the correct side of the cone.
  • The person who is receiving the ball uses their right human foot to receive the ball, passing the ball over to their left foot to pass the brawl dorsum to their partner using their left foot aiming for the left side of the cone to become to their partner. This is all going in a clockwise germination.
  • Echo this drill equally many times as you lot desire and then switch to get counterclockwise formation.

To see this specific activity in activeness, check out this video!

Drill #xiv: Attack

This game focuses on teamwork and being enlightened that there are other people on the field that can assistance them.

These skills are important to teach 5-year-olds!

Equipment

  • soccer goal
  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • This game requires the whole family/team to play!
  • One person will be continuing near the goal (they will exist the defender).
  • The other two players will be working together to score a goal.
  • On the Get signal, the offensive players will be passing to one another when you say Pass.
  • Once they have washed a few passes, yell out Set on!
  • The defensive player goes into the field to attempt to steal the ball from the offensive squad.
  • If they steal the ball before y'all say PASS again, the person that they took the ball from will become the defender and the defender volition at present be on the offensive team.
  • When the offensive squad scores a goal, play will restart, and roles will exist chosen again!

Shooting Drills

What does every 5-year-old want to do when they are on the soccer field?

SCORE A GOAL!!

Shooting Tips

ane. The non-boot foot should be next to the ball.

2. Contact the ball below the middle.

3. The ball should be kicked by your shoelaces.

four. Follow through and kick hard!

Drill #15: Ghostbuster Soccer

I love this game because it works on shooting, aiming, and goalie work!

Equipment

  • pins
  • soccer assurance

Instructions

  • Try to have an even amount of people with soccer balls and people with pins.
  • Players with a soccer ball are attempting to kick the ball with the front of their human foot to knock downward pins.
  • The players with a pin guard that pin from beingness knocked down (they can do this by kicking the brawl away or using their easily to pick upwardly the brawl).
  • They tin can't hold upwardly their pin with their hands or feet to proceed information technology from falling.
  • If their pivot falls, they must do 10 jumping jacks earlier returning into play.
  • After a few minutes of play, switch roles!

Drill #16: Pivot Knock Over (Soccer Style!)

Pin knock-over is one of my favorites in my physical pedagogy class!

This is an excellent beginner soccer drill/game for kids!

Equipment

  • soccer balls
  • plastic bowling pins

Instructions

  • Dissever teams equally.
  • To set the game, each team should have an equal amount of pins on their side.
  • The goal is to knock downwardly the other team's pins without crossing the one-half-courtroom line.
  • The students can only Kicking the ball to knock down the pins.
  • If all of the pins get knocked downwardly, set them back up and play again!

Here's a video for pin knock-over, simply imagine it like a soccer game!

Drill #17: Poly Spot Shot

This is a simple set-upward that you tin do correct in your lawn with your child!

You tin can also make this as easy or complicated equally you'd like depending on the skill level!

Equipment

  • poly spots/cones
  • soccer goal
  • soccer ball

5 year old soccer spot shot

Instructions

  • Set up poly spots/cones effectually the goal.
  • Accept your kid identify the soccer ball at the first spot, and they will endeavour to shoot the ball into the goal.
  • If they miss goals from sure spots, they should go back and exercise those spots a few times.
  • You can repeat this as many times as you want. To make information technology a fleck more challenging, y'all can e'er move the spots/cones back.

Drill #xviii: Receive and Shoot

Most of the fourth dimension in soccer, the ball is non placed on the ground to merely shoot and aim.

This drill works on shooting a ball when it's rolling!

Equipment

  • soccer goal
  • ball

Instructions

  • Pass the ball to your child gently.
  • They volition stitch to the ball and attempt to kick information technology in the goal.
  • Echo this drill several times.

Drill #nineteen: Distill and Shoot!

This beginning soccer activity is perfect to practise multiple skills in one!

Tip: Kids can become as fast/slow as they need to through the cones; doing information technology correctly is what matters!

Equipment

  • cones
  • soccer goal
  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • Set up cones in a formation where your child has to weave through them with a soccer brawl and a goal at the cease.
  • Have your child distill the ball through the cones and tell them to stop at the spot in front of the goal.
  • From that spot, they are to shoot the brawl into the goal.
  • This drill works on ball treatment and shooting. They should pretend that the cones are defenders that they are trying to go around.
  • Also easy? Have someone leap into the goalie position and see if they can become it by the goalie to score a goal!

Cheque out this simple setup in the video below!

Drill #xx: Target Shot

How cool is this target shot shooting tarp to put over your goal?

This is such an crawly mode to piece of work on shooting/aiming skills! Kids volition love this challenge.

Target Shot Soccer Goal

Cheque Amazon

How to utilize the target goal

A. This goal comes with a target shot tarp you can put over the goal.

B. You tin can take it off to just practice shooting in a normal soccer goal.

C. There is some other tarp provided to act as a rebounder, and so the ball volition automatically come back to you; I mean, how cool is this thing!

Defensive Drills

Defense is simply every bit important equally crime in my stance considering that'southward how you lot stop the other team from scoring a goal!

Take a look at these defensive drills that your kids will love!

Drill #21: Pirates and Sailors

This is my favorite soccer drill that I do with my physical education students.

We commencement with this activity each year during our soccer unit!

Equipment

  • soccer balls

Instructions

  • Depending on how many people are playing, try to choose an even amount of pirates and sailors.
  • The person with the ball is the sailor, and the one defending them is the pirate.
  • Pirates are trying to steal the ball abroad from the sailors using right defensive techniques.
  • At that place should be NO pushing or kicking.
  • If the ball is stolen, then the players switch roles!

Drill #22: Sharks and Minnows

Sharks and minnows is a classic game that kids can't become enough of!

This is a great soccer drill for beginning soccer players!

Equipment

  • soccer assurance
  • cones

Instructions

  • Create a playing area past using cones, and so the kids know where the boundary lines are.
  • Choose one or 2 people to be the sharks (defenders), and they should go to the centre of the playing area.
  • The other kids volition line upwardly by ane set of cones.
  •  On the GO betoken, the kids volition attempt to dribble their ball across the playing area to the other set of cones without getting their ball stolen and kicked abroad from the shark.
  • If they get their ball stolen and kicked away, they join the other sharks.
  •  The goal of the game is to exist the final one continuing!

Drill #23: King of the Ring

King of the ring is a fast-moving soccer drill that will get kids excited to play!

And then many skills are including in this soccer drill; it'due south the perfect one for your squad's soccer practice.

Equipment

  • cones
  • soccer balls

Instructions

  • Create a playing surface area with cones making a big square germination.
  • Anybody playing will have a soccer ball.
  • Players are trying to boot other people's soccer balls exterior of the ring while keeping their ball in control.
  • If a player'due south ball gets kicked out of the ring, they are "out" for that circular (you can have them exercise jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, mountain climbers, etc., to keep them moving).
  • The goal of the game is to exist the last 1 standing in the ring!

Goalie Drills

Kids always get excited to go into the goal because they can use their hands!

It'south important that kids learn about the position of a goalie because, during a game, they may need to step in to play!

Drill #24: Basic ball handling

Having basic ball-handling skills is the important step in learning how to be a goalie!

Equipment

  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • Rolling effigy eight's- have them complete figure 8's repeatedly by rolling the soccer ball around their anxiety, keeping the brawl in control as rapidly every bit they can.
  • Figure 8's around legs- pick the ball up off the footing, and complete effigy eight'southward effectually the lower legs.
  • Ball around the waist- accept the ball become around your waist making a round formation v times one fashion then go the opposite way 5 times.
  • Throw and catch- Have them throw the ball upwardly in the air and catch it.

Does your child e'er get frustrated when they can't practice something right the first time? See how I calmly handle and encourage her to keep trying!

Drill #25: Goalie practice

Time to become in the goal!

The but way to see if your child likes playing the position of goalie is to practise!

Equipment

  • goal
  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • Gear up your kid up at the goal, a little flake in front of the goal, not directly inside information technology.
  • Start by kicking the ball gently towards giving them practice on how to stop the brawl from inbound the goal.
  • Depending on how well they practice, you can up the intensity on how hard you are kick the ball.
  • In the start, effort to proceed the ball on the grass and not kick it up into the air until they are set.

*Tip: If your worried about your child getting hurt during this drill, apply a soft larger dodgeball or lighter weight kickball before using a existent soccer ball.

Drill #26: Partner Loftier Ball

Equipment

  • soccer ball

Instructions

  • Stand a few anxiety abroad from your kiddo.
  • Explain that you are going to toss the brawl in the air to them and y'all desire them to catch it and bring information technology close to their torso.
  • This activity will help them larn how to hold onto the ball when it'southward kicked up into the air near the goal!

Drill #27: Motility Drill

Equipment

  • soccer ball
  • cone
  • soccer goal

Instructions

  • Prepare ii cones a few anxiety away from each other in front end of the soccer goal.
  • Take your child get the thought of what to practice showtime by running up to the first cone, keeping their head up become around the cone and shuffle their anxiety backward, repeat this until they get this step.
  • Once they understand the footwork slice, add in the soccer ball past rolling it towards them.
  • They should endeavor to stop the ball from entering the goal with their hands.
  • You lot tin scroll the brawl right to them at first and so once they become the hang of information technology, try having them motility to either side to stop the ball.

Cheque out this video to meet how it's exactly done!

Drill #28: iv Goal Soccer

This is my favorite game to play with the kids! It keeps everyone involved and moving.

Information technology also gives 4 kids the chance to practice some goalie skills!

Equipment

  • soccer balls
  • goals/cones
  • jerseys
  • pins

Instructions

  • Split the squad upwards into mini teams. Requite them different colored jerseys!
  • Choose 1 person on each team to be the goalie (take an actual goal or just set upwardly some cones for a goal).
  • Pins will be placed (4) at each squad'southward goal!
  • Throw out a few soccer assurance (3-4). The kids will endeavor to score at all the other goals likewise their ain.
  • If they score a goal, they tin can accept a pivot for that team'due south goal and place information technology past their goal.
  • The team with the most pins at the cease is the winner!

For most of these drills, you will need the following things

1. Soft soccer balls

For younger kids or beginners, this blazon of soccer ball is best to learn how to exercise soccer skills correctly. It's condom and lighter to kick!

Soft Soccer Balls for younger aged kids

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2. Real soccer ball

If you know your kid's soccer team uses a real brawl during practices and games, yous volition want to practice with a real one at home to go them used to it. Real soccer balls are heavier and a fleck harder to kick for younger players.

Youth Soccer Ball

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three. Cones

Soccer Cones for Agility Drills Youth

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4. Youth soccer goal

youth soccer goal

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5. Soccer cleats

soccer cleats for kids

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6. Goalie gloves

youth goalie gloves

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7. Shin guards

Shin guards youth soccer

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Final Thoughts and Conclusion

These soccer drills for beginners are perfect for backyard and youth soccer leagues!

If y'all decide to practise one of these activities with your child/squad, I'd love to hear how information technology went!

What are some of the soccer drills or games that you lot do at home with your kids that accept been successful? Please share them with us past leaving a comment below!