Looking for fun soccer drills for 5 year olds? Look no further! Below you’ll find five super fun soccer drills and games that five-year-olds absolutely love to play.
Coaching 5 year olds can be the hardest and the most rewarding thing you can do as a youth soccer coach. One of the best things about coaching U6 kids is that once you find a drill that the kids enjoy, they will be happy to play the same game again and again. Kids love routine and repeating these activities in your soccer sessions will give them a chance to get time on the ball and learn some soccer skills while having lots of fun at the same time.
Soccer Drills For 5 Year Olds
The most important thing when coaching 5 year olds is to make sure the kids are having fun! Here are five super fun soccer drills for 5 year olds that you can use as warm-up games or just as a fun activity at the end of your training sessions.
1: What’s The Time Mr. Wolf?
This first drill is based on the classic schoolyard game ‘What’s the time Mr. Wolf?’ Players get to practice dribbling with the ball, stopping the ball, and can even perfect the drag back turn! It’s a great game that children will want to play again and again at soccer practice.
Set-Up
Set up a 20×25 yard grid using small cones and prepare one soccer ball per player. The kids stand at one end of the grid with their balls and the coach stands at the opposite end. The coach is ‘Mr. Wolf’ and the players are ‘Little Piggies’.
How To Play
On the count of three, all the kids shout “What’s the time Mr. Wolf?’. The coach (Mr. Wolf) then answers with a time between 1 and 12 o’clock. The players must then take the corresponding amount of light touches on the ball as they move towards Mr. Wolf. For example, if Mr. Wolf answers “It’s six o’clock” the players must then lightly touch the ball 6 times as they move closer to Mr. Wolf.
The kids then again shout “What’s the time Mr. Wolf?’ and again touch the ball the corresponding amount of times as they dribble towards the coach. The game continues like this until Mr. Wolf shouts “Dinnertime!”, at which point the kids must quickly turn and run back to the end of the grid before Mr. Wolf can catch them. Any player that is caught by Mr. Wolf, becomes a wolf themselves. Play until only one player is remaining. That player is the winner.
Coaching Points And Tips
- You can start this game without balls (players take steps instead of touches), do a few repetitions, and then add balls in when players understand the concept!
- Take small touches with the soccer ball using the inside, outside, and top of your feet.
- Correct execution of the drag back turns to get away from Mr. Wolf.
- Dribble as fast as you can without losing possession of your ball.
- Don’t worry if you get caught; you get to be a wolf with the coach!
2: Ducktales! Woo Hoo!
Five year old kids absolutely love playing this next soccer game. This drill is based on the classic cartoon ‘Ducktales’. Like the game above, this drill can be played with or without a soccer ball.
Set-Up
Set up a 20×20-yard grid using small cones. Prepare a colored bib for each player and enough soccer balls for 1 per player for the progression part of the drill.
How To Play
One player starts as ‘Scrooge McDuck’ on the outside of the grid next to the coach. All the other players start in the grid with a bib tucked into their shorts. This is their ‘duck tail’. Upon the coach’s call, Scrooge McDuck enters the grid and tries to catch all the other players by grabbing their tail and putting it on the floor.
Once a player has their tail removed they should stand on the outside of the grid with the coach. The last player with a tail is the winner and starts as Scrooge McDuck in the next game. After a couple of repetitions introduce soccer balls. To make the game flow better have Scrooge McDuck carry the soccer ball in one hand whilst pulling tails with all the other players having to dribble the ball with their feet!
Coaching Points And Tips
- Keep your head up to try and stay outside of Scrooge Mcduck’s line of sight.
- Change direction quickly to avoid getting caught.
- Can you use your body to ‘duke out’ Scrooge McDuck? (i.e/pretend to go one way and then go another?)
- Can you dribble at speed and change direction with the ball (progression only)?
3: Space Minions
This next drill is a super fun soccer game you can play with U6 kids. It’s a lot like the British Bulldog game, but multi-directional and based on the ‘Despicable Me’ movies. Kids will run out into ‘space’ and try to avoid being caught by the evil ‘Gru’ and becoming one of his ‘Minions’.
Set-Up
Set up a 25×25 yard grid with4 x4 yard grids in each corner. These are the ‘planets’. Have a supply of balls ready (enough for each player) that you can utilize in the progression. Choose one player to be the evil ‘Gru’ and place them in the center. The remaining players can then choose any of the 4 planets to start at.
How To Play
Upon the coach’s call, every player must leave their planet, go out in space, and try to run to another planet. Gru must try to tag them before they reach the safety of another planet. If a player gets tagged they become a ‘Minion’ and join Gru’s Minion army. The Minions must help Gru tag other players to grow the Minion army. Repeat the game until only one player is left. That player is the winner and gets to play as Gru next time.
After a couple of repetitions introduce balls. Now every player must dribble their ball when they are out in space. If Gru kicks their ball out of the grid they become a minion in his army!
Coaching Points And Tips
- Having the coach start as Gru in the middle of the grid is lots of fun!
- Encourage players to keep their heads up at all times and look for space to run into.
- Can you use your body to ‘duke out’ Gru and the minions? (i.e/pretend to go one way and then go another?)
- Use of cuts, feints, and sharp changes of direction with the ball to avoid getting tackled (progression only).
- Dribble as fast as you can without losing control of the ball (progression only).
4: The Numbers Game
This 1v1 drill is a great way to introduce 5 years olds to some general concepts of soccer! It has goals, dribbling, tackling, and a lot of repetitions for everyone! Once players get used to the activity it can be a fantastic go-to drill for U6 players to practice their 1v1 skills.
Set-Up
Set up a 20×25 yard area and make a small goal at each end of the field. Split the players into two teams and put one team in bibs. Then place two cones on a third side of the field and have each team line up behind one of the cones. Finally, make sure you have a supply of balls ready to help facilitate quick restarts.
How To Play
Give players on both teams a number between 1-6 (or 1-5/1-4 depending on player numbers) so that each team has a number 1 player, a number 2 player, a number 3 player, and so on. Tell the kids to remember their number.
When the coach calls out a player’s number the corresponding player from each team leaves the line and runs around the back of their own goal before entering the field. The coach kicks a ball into the grid and the players play a 1v1 game against each other. Play continues until a goal is scored or the ball leaves the grid. Repeat with new players. Play for 10 -15 minutes, making sure everyone gets lots of chances to play. Once players are used to the format you can call out two numbers at once (to play 2v2) or even 3!
Coaching Points And Tips
- Give each of the teams a team name and have them come up with their own chant to cheer their teammates on as they are playing! Award extra points for the best chant and loudest cheering!
- Award extra points for the team that can stand in the straightest lines!
- When dribbling can players keep the ball close to their feet and not ‘boot it?’
- Encourage players to keep their heads up and try and dribble to the open goal.
5: 1,2,3 Challenge
Last on our list of fun soccer drills for five year olds is anactivity that helps kids develop their turning, dribbling, tackling, and scoring skills. Similar to the drill above, in this drill kids will compete one-on-one for possession before shooting on goal.
Set-Up
Set up a goal with two cones on either side for the players to line up behind. Choose one player to be the goalkeeper or have the coach act as the goalkeeper. Split the players into two teams and have them line up one behind each other on either side of the goal behind the cones. Put one team in bibs and have plenty of balls available to help facilitate quick restarts.
How To Play
Just like the previous game, you should first give players on both teams a number between 1 and 6. Tell the kids to remember their number. The coach will call out a number and play a ball into the field at the same time. The corresponding player from each team then runs onto the field and competes to retrieve the ball and turn towards the goal and shoot.
Play for 10-15 minutes so that each kid gets lots of chances to play. Once players are used to the activity, you can call out 2 or 3 numbers at a time and have players compete 2v2 or 3v3.
Coaching Points And Tips
- Make sure the players are standing in lines that are a good distance away from the goal and award extra points to teams that stand in a straight line and wait for their turn!
- Encourage players to cheer on their teammates as they try and score.
- Award bonus points if players can do a turn (such as the drag back) when they get to the ball.
- By acting as a goalkeeper the coach can make the game more fun by making dramatic saves or mistakes as they try to stop the players from scoring!
More Fun Soccer Drills
Thanks for reading! I hope your U6 players have lots of fun playing these games. Before you go, check out these other fun drills and games for other age groups:
7 Fun Soccer Drills For 7 Year Olds8 Fun Soccer Drills For 8 Year Olds10 Fun Soccer Drills for 10 Year Olds
