Soccer games for kids

This selection of soccer games for kids will help you make training fun. Any coach will recognise that enjoyment is key to a child’s progression. When players look forward to coming to training, their motivation will remain high and they are likely to improve their performance. These soccer games for kids will help improve their basic skills, promote teamwork and encourage flair throughout the team.

Soccer coaching game to build defending skills - This fun soccer (football) coaching game uses elements of rugby in order to teach your young players group defending skills.

Passing game to get your players thinking quickly - If snow-covered soccer pitches are holding up training, try some simple passing exercises to keep your team busy. The ball will move around quite easily and with this soccer drill you can keep your players' minds on passing rather than throwing snowballs at each other.

Four goal passing game - Try this four goal small-sided soccer game so your players get more touches, more passes, more shots and more participation.

Small sided game to work on heading - Try this fun, competitive small-sided soccer game to get your players practising their heading skills.

Small sided game for quick feet - If you are coaching quick feet in your soccer (football) training session, this is a good small-sided game to use at the end of the session to hammer home the skills and techniques you've been coaching. It is simple to set up and gives you the chance to see if what you've been coaching is having an effect.

Small sided soccer game for passing under pressure - When your players are under pressure to make a choice of where to pass the ball, avoid shouting at them if they make the wrong choice. A more constructive approach is to teach your players in soccer (football) training about passing and the consequences of their passing decisions. This is a great coaching session to use with young teams - there are three games in one here.

Soccer game to put defenders under pressure - You often see a defence under pressure in youth soccer (football) games. The opposition make all the right decisions and create goal-scoring opportunities because your defenders do not know what to do when they are outnumbered.
Use this small-sided game to coach your defenders how to organise when they have more attackers running at them than they have defenders.

Simple throw and head the ball soccer game - In this small-sided soccer game, players throw the ball to each other to head goals.

Small sided game for crossing skills - In this small-sided soccer game you are looking for good crosses from the wide players, which can create scoring opportunities. Because the game is essentially 2v2, the defending team will have to work extra hard to block crosses.

Back to back goals game - When I want to turn my defending deep/quick counter-attack session into a small-sided soccer game, I use this one.

Fun indoor coaching game - When you are coaching your young soccer (football) players, there are often times when the players start to lose concentration and the session becomes a bit ragged or unfocused. Use this fun game to get players back on track. It's a good exercise to use when weather conditions mean indoor play is necessary.

Small sided soccer game to boost quick thinking skills - If you have been working on getting your soccer (football) players to practise quick throw-ins during training, why not round the session off with a quick 4v4 game to put their quick-thinking throw-in skills to the test.

Small sided soccer game for defenders working in partnership - This is a great small-sided soccer game to give your defenders the challenge of working alone, then working in partnership. This is where the team with the ball is keen to keep possession or they will have to join the defenders.

Fun small sided soccer game to round off training - You can use this simple small-sided soccer game in any of your coaching sessions, it gives young players a good fitness workout as an alternative to the traditional end-of-training match.

Add playground fun to your soccer coaching session - Add a bit of flair and spontaneity to your soccer coaching sessions by getting your young players to do what they do in the playground.

A keepball small sided soccer game - Coach your young soccer (football) players to put opponents under pressure with this small-sided soccer game of keepball.

Dodging defenders small sided soccer game - Use this simple small-sided soccer game to get your attackers passing and moving the ball to prevent defenders gaining possession.

Small sided soccer game to get wingers out wide - Use this small-sided soccer game to coach your players to make the most of the whole width of the pitch. This soccer (football) coaching session helps players understand that by using the wings, they can put dangerous balls at different angles into the opposition penalty area.

Use the numbers game to help get your players in groups - Moving from one soccer drill or game to another in your coaching sessions can often be problematic, especially if you need to change the group numbers each time. Use this “numbers game” to help you get players into any size of team quickly.

Small sided soccer game to get through to lone striker - One of the most important areas of youth soccer is the through ball to the attacker who has got beyond the
defenders. Use this small-sided soccer game to get players practising attacking to get the ball through to the attacker.

Two goal small sided soccer game - This simple small-sided game is a good way to end your soccer coaching session. You can watch your players in attacking and defending situations and see if you've got your soccer coaching points across.

1v1 soccer game to develop decision making skills - This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Simple passing game for soccer coaches - This passing game encourages movement and co-ordination which are vital if you want your junior teams to progress in soccer. Use this simple soccer passing game to coach a good pass.

Around the world small sided game - This small-sided soccer game has match-like pace so players arrive on the pitch at different angles, speeds and levels of fatigue due to the attack that has just taken place.

Basic running and passing game - This is a basic football (soccer) coaching exercise for running and passing skills. It's a game where the team that can run individually with the ball scores the points. Play it as a normal 7-a-side game without goals.

Crossbar challenge game to work on basic soccer heading skills - Run the crossbar challenge to improve your soccer players' heading skills.

Penalty area game to turn crosses into goals - The penalty area is an exciting place to be, but when football (soccer) players are in there, they need to know how to make the most of their chances. I use this game to give my players the vision to change the point of attack from crosses.

Basic football support skills game - One of the basic football (soccer) skills your players need to help the team develop is the ability to support the ball carrier by moving into areas that take advantage of space. This allows your team to keep the ball and move it around the pitch.

Soccer defending game with overload attackers - This soccer coaching session creates situations where defenders face an increasing number of attackers. They have to react to, and deal with, the waves of attacks.

Zoo soccer game to improve first touch and ball control skills - This soccer (football) coaching game is all about accuracy and playing the correct weight of pass, good ball control and first touch, and anticipating and intercepting passes. When you play the game, ensure the players are rotated so they all have a turn as monkeys, zoo keepers and visitors.

Fun game to get players improving basic defending soccer skills - This is a very simple soccer game to set up, but it forces the players to display clever movement as they have to protect their own ball at the same time as trying to remove their opponents' balls from the game. This game is also a good practice exercise to use for an indoor training session.

Quick passing soccer coaching game for young players - The aim of this soccer coaching game is to encourage short passing, so play is quick as teams keep the ball away from the defender. The defender must move quickly and try to win the ball by closing down and intercepting passes.

Space Invaders soccer coaching game for ball control skills - Use this fun soccer coaching game to help your players control the ball under pressure when they're running in a straight line.

Fun soccer coaching game to teach quick throw ins - Use this fun small-sided soccer game to help young players take quick throw-ins correctly when they are under pressure.

Soccer coaching game to get defenders reading the pass - Closing players down quickly is an important part of defending. Pressing the player with the ball is much easier if the defender can reach their opponent as soon as they have possession. This means they need to read the pass so they can begin their run towards the opponent. This soccer coaching game gets your players practising this skill.

Soccer coaching game race to block - The Race to Block soccer coaching game works on reactive speed and forces your soccer players to work at match speed in order to be successful.

Soccer coaching communication game called Robocop - In this soccer coaching game, players move at walking pace like Robocop – but with a ball. The main objectives are to improve communication, co-ordination and getting a feel for distances.

Soccer coaching game to help players win back the ball - When young players lose the ball, how often do you have to remind them they should immediately try to win it back? Use this reverse pass soccer coaching game to get players reacting quickly and winning back the ball.

Soccer coaching game to prove good passing skills beat aggressive play - Use this fun soccer coaching game to get young players realising the importance of using good passing skills.

Soccer coaching game to improve player positioning on the pitch - Getting soccer players to be aware of their positions on the soccer pitch is an important part of their match day experience. If players can cover all areas in defence or attack, they will make playing the game easier for themselves.

Soccer coaching game to develop playing skills - This is a simple soccer game to allow players to practise passing, dribbling and turning techniques. Because of this, it is a very versatile exercise allowing you to watch your players develop techniques and gives them the chance to experiment with their play and try out new soccer skills.

Soccer coaching game to encourage short passing - Play often takes place in crowded areas, compacted by the number of players trying to win the ball. In this situation, a team needs to retain possession by making use of short, accurate passes to feet. In this way, space can be created for a switch of play or a pass into space.

Soccer coaching game for switching play - When one side of the pitch is blocked by the opposition it is vital to "switch play" and move the attack to the opposite side of the field. A switch of play is used to create space to attack on the wings and may involve a 1v1 or 2v1 situation on that side of the pitch.

Soccer coaching game for defensive positions - Getting soccer players to think about what might happen next is always hard to do. Why should they move to cover space when there's not much chance of danger there?

In the case of soccer defenders, players will often move away from a situation they think their team mate has control of only to see the team mate get beaten and the opposition moves into an attacking situation unopposed.

You must get your defenders to cover the areas behind their team mates so that if the attacker beats the first defender they are there to cover the situation and prevent a goal scoring opportunity.

Soccer coaching game to exploit 2v1s and 3v2s near goal - You can use this soccer game to practise exploiting 2v1s and 3v2s in front of goal.

Soccer coaching game for passing with purpose -
This is a great small-sided game to get your players passing with purpose.

Soccer coaching game to practise keeping the ball for your team - This is a great small-sided game to practise keeping the ball for your team, it is called Possession plus one.

Soccer penalty games and tips - Help your players perform to the best of their abilities in penalty situations with this selection of soccer penalty games and advice.

Soccer games for kids

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