Soccer Activities for PE

Not all physical education teachers have extensive experience with soccer. Also, not every child in the class may be particularly experienced with the sport or have much interest in playing a traditional soccer game. By learning some simple, age-appropriate games, PE teachers can incorporate soccer into their lesson plans and be confident the kids will enjoy it, regardless of their interest level in the sport.

  1. Soccer Tunnel Tag

    • Soccer tunnel tag is a game in which players learn to dribble and kick the ball. A groups of about eight players is given a ball and organized into a line. The first person is designated the leader and the last person the kicker. The teacher sets up a goal as a target. The group follows the leader, who runs, skips or hops around the playing area. The kicker dribbles the ball while chasing the line. When he believes he is in position to kick the ball through all of the players' legs, he shouts, "freeze," and attempts to do so as the other players spread their legs. After kicking the ball, the kicker joins the end of the line. The leader tries to gain control of the ball and kick it into the goal. After doing so, he moves to the end of the line and becomes the next kicker. The person who moves to the front of the line is the new leader, and the game is repeated.

    Shooting Game

    • To teach shooting skills, split the class into groups of three: a shooter in the front, a shooter in the back and a goalie in the middle, each shooter separated from the goalie by 10 to 15 feet. Use two cones and place them to the sides of the goalie to establish a goal. Give each group one ball. The front shooter tries to score on the goalie, and then the goalie turns around as the back shooter tries to score after retrieving the ball. (If the goalie makes a save, he should give the ball to the back shooter). Switch positions after a set amount of time.

    "Boccer"

    • Indoor "boccer" is a combination of indoor soccer and basketball that doesn't require more than a basic understanding of either sport. Divide players into two groups and place a soccer goal at either end of the court under the basketball hoops (push them back a little so the soccer goal line is the end line of the basketball court). Depending on available space and class size, teams can have seven to 15 players per side. When the ball is on the ground, the objective is to get the ball in the soccer goal with feet only. When the ball is in the air, players can catch it and play traditional basketball.

      This game allows for endless variations. For instance, when the ball is played with the hands, you can allow dribbling or you can restrict players to three steps before they must pass or shoot. You also can allow players to drop the ball from their hands to their feet to initiate a soccer phase, or you can restrict such an action to a certain area of the court.