Summary:
- Children love outdoor activities if introduced properly.
- Teaching fundamental soccer skills is fun and can create a love of the sport.
Children love to get outside and to run around and play. With all of the technology, from television to videogames, that tends to keep the youngsters inside on those bright and beautiful days, it might not seem like youths enjoy the outdoors. When they have something fun to do though, most children love to be outside. Soccer is one of those games that are fun for children of all ages, and you can find some great ways to start engaging your kids in soccer activities now so they can join a team if they want to later.
Soccer Activities for Children 4 to 5 Years Old
Kids at this age are getting to be more socially active and want to find new things to do. Awareness of the world around them and their self-confidence increases at around this age too. They may express an interest in playing soccer, and now is the perfect time to start.
At this age, it’s important to teach the very basics and fundamentals of the game, and that’s something that parents can do at home. You may find some great youth soccer leagues in your area and signing your child up can be a great way to have fun and it can be a confidence booster for the child. However, parents will be able to help the coaches along by teaching a few of the basics at home.
Start Young Children with Simple Exercises
At this stage, you will want to teach the kids a core set of very basic skills. They need to know how to run with the ball going forwards, backwards and sideways. They need to know how to turn with the ball and keep moving. You can also teach them that it’s beneficial to lower their center of gravity.
The soccer ball should always be a part of these exercises. The kids want to do more than just run around. They want to do it with the soccer ball. As their skill level progresses, parents and coaches will be able to teach them other skills that they can add to their repertoire, such as passing and shooting. Don’t have practice sessions to frequently though. Once or twice a week is certainly enough for kids this age.
Activity for Learning Dribbling
- Start slowly and only move forward with the initial dribbling exercise.
- Place a marker every few meters to give your child a visible objective.
- Praise your child whenever he or she passes one of these markers with the ball.
