Fun Soccer Games for Kids

Youth soccer players will improve when they are able to touch the ball during practice. Let them dribble, pass and shoot, rather than stand in line waiting for their turn or watch dominant players control the game during scrimmages. Plan your drills so that your players focus on specific skills -- while having fun.

  1. Knockout

    • Set up a small square. The square should be large enough that players have room to move around, but small enough that they cannot "hide" in corners. The goal is for each player to knock out the other players' balls while protecting her own ball from getting kicked out of the square. When a player's ball is kicked out, she is out of the game. The last player with a ball in the square is the winner. In a variation of this game, one player starts without the ball and tries to knock out the others balls as quickly as possible.

    Steal the Bacon

    • Divide your players into two teams. Each team member is assigned a number from one to however many players are on the team. The ball is placed in between the two teams and the coach calls out a number. The two players who have the number run out and try to get the ball back to their side. You can also call more than one number at a time to encourage passing and teamwork. Players who are not called must trap the ball when it is returned to their side. Each ball won by a team is worth one point. To make the game more challenging, toss the ball into the middle when you call the numbers so players must trap the ball and bring it back.

    Red Light Green Light

    • Each player has a ball and lines up on the starting line. When the coach says "green light," the players start dribbling forward. When she says "red light," the players must stop the ball immediately or they are forced to return to the starting line. The definition of "immediately" should vary with your players' skill levels. This drill teaches players to keep the ball close to them while they are dribbling.