Soccer Drills & Games for Kids

One of the best ways to help teach kids soccer is with drills and games. When you choose the right soccer games, it makes the learning process fun. This is why it is important for youth soccer coaches to find a balance between soccer drills and fun games the kids will enjoy. It's also important to plan the drills and games before practice so you are fully prepared to lead the kids. These drills and games will work for every part of your practice, from warm-up to large-group activities, and keep your players active and learning.

  1. Warm-Up Drills and Games

    • Warm-ups get the practice started right.

      The warm-up is an important part of soccer practice. You want to get the kids prepared physically and also mentally for the practice and other games to come. One simple way is to set up cones in a straight line and have the players dribble between them down the field and back. You can try this with a defender to make it a little more challenging. When you have enough cones, try to set up more than one line to avoid long lines and waiting, which creates boredom among the players.

      Another warm-up that gets everyone involved and thinking on their toes is Driving School. In this activity, you line up all the players with a soccer ball and play a bit like Red Light, Green Light. On your "Go," players dribble the ball down the field. You then give instructions to "Dribble right," "dribble left" or "reverse." This helps the players practice their footwork.

    Small-Group Drills and Games

    • Small-group drills and games keep players interested.

      To avoid lines and give more players the opportunity to touch the ball, break the team into small groups for drills and games. One example of a small-group drill is Soccer Circle. In this activity, small groups of four to seven players form a circle with one ball in the middle. They then take turns passing the ball with their feet or head around the circle, trying not to let the ball go out.

      Micro-Soccer is another small-group game you can play at practice. Divide players into teams of three or four with no goalies and play a regular game of soccer. Each player will have more opportunities to contact the ball, which boosts confidence.

    Large-Group Drills and Games

    • Keep your yard clean with no balls on your side of the field.

      One of the most popular large-group activities is the scrimmage. The problem with a scrimmage for practice is that if your players are doing something incorrectly, that bad habit will be reinforced and you won't have the chance to correct it. Instead, try a game of "freeze scrimmage." In this, you play a regular scrimmage with timed halves, but when you whistle or yell, "Freeze," all the players stop where they are. This gives you the chance to point out what they are doing. "Did you see that kick?" "Do you know what happened there?" It's an opportunity to work more instruction into the practice game.

      Another large-group game that players enjoy and is great for practicing kicking is Keep Your Yard Clean. In this, you set up like a scrimmage with equal-sided teams, but every player has a ball. On your whistle, each team tries to kick all of their balls to the other team's side of the field. Coaches and parent helpers get all the out-of-bounds balls back into play. On your stopping whistle, whichever side has fewer balls in their "yard" wins.