Soccer Drills for 5 Year Olds: Games to Try Together

Soccer drills for 5 year olds can start with a driving game, followed by moving through marker gates and shooting towards a target. I recommend demonstrating each activity, giving one clear instruction and letting girls and boys try it before changing the task. Begin your junior soccer coaching with games you can repeat together, like returning to a familiar playground. The Giro X sells Curl Master One for players from around age eight to adult, making it a purchase to plan alongside coaching as your child grows.

What Should You Prepare Before Soccer Practice?

I would prepare a ball for each child and flat markers to show the playing boundary. Ask the organiser about attendance and accompanying adults before deciding how to arrange the space. Walk around the boundary together, then demonstrate where the activity begins and where children should bring their balls when you pause. For a parent who never played soccer, copying that demonstration gives you something concrete to repeat without needing to explain technique in unfamiliar words.

Before joining an Australian junior soccer programme, confirm its dates, session length and arrangements for changes with the organiser. Families in New Zealand should make the same checks with their own soccer programme. If you are arranging paid coaching, ask what the quoted fee includes and how changes are communicated. I would agree on the parent's supporting role beforehand, so the coach can lead the activity while accompanying adults know when to help with equipment or demonstrations.

Which Dribbling Games Would I Start With?

I would start with a driving game inside the marked area, with each child moving their own ball towards an empty space. Demonstrate the movement before saying, “Drive your ball into a space.” Introduce “Park your ball” separately, showing how to bring the ball to rest before combining the instructions. Let children suggest somewhere to drive next, while keeping the destination inside the boundary. My preference is to repeat a familiar instruction before introducing another rule or a different story.

For a marker gate soccer dribbling activity for five year olds, arrange pairs of markers with open approaches between them. Show your child how to take the ball through an opening, then choose another gate. I would begin with generous openings and change their width when the child understands the route. If several children choose the same gate, pause and demonstrate another available route. Keep girls and boys equally involved in choosing destinations, including children who want to watch the demonstration again.

How Can You Introduce Shooting and a Closing Game?

I would introduce shooting by asking children to move towards a marker gate and send the ball through it. Demonstrate the whole action, including where to collect the ball afterwards, then invite each child to copy it. Arrange separate approaches so children can see which target belongs to their turn. I would change the visible task by widening the gate or moving the starting point closer before adding technical instructions, then ask whether the child wants another attempt.

For a closing soccer activity for five year olds, I suggest small teams with a goal gate at either end of the playing area. Explain which goal each team is moving towards, then demonstrate what happens when the ball leaves the boundary. Follow the organiser's rules on team arrangements and goalkeepers. In my opinion, leaving positions unassigned during an introductory activity keeps the explanation focused on the ball and the target. Give every child opportunities to restart play, adjusting team arrangements with supervising adults.

What Should You Say When a Child Needs Help?

I would show the action again and use the same instruction before adding more detail. Agree on a stop signal with the group, and practise responding to it before the game begins. If a child seems unsure about a gate activity, walk the route together and let them choose where to begin. A visible change gives you something specific to discuss: “Shall we make this opening wider?” is the sort of question I would use to invite their involvement.

When helping children during soccer practice, I prefer encouragement that names an action they have just attempted, such as stopping the ball or finding another gate. Ask accompanying adults to use the coach's wording so children hear a familiar instruction when they ask for help. Give girls and boys equal attention and chances to demonstrate or choose a target. For the next age group, Soccer Drills for 6 Year Olds offers another page to explore with your child's coach.

What Should Parents Practise at Home?

I would take a familiar gate game home and ask the coach which instruction to repeat between sessions. Use the available playing space to decide where the markers belong, then demonstrate the task as your child saw it at practice. Let your daughter or son choose a starting gate and ask whether they want to repeat the route. You can bring questions back to the next session, particularly if your child understands an instruction differently when you try it together at home.

For an older sibling now, or your younger child from around age eight, I recommend getting Curl Master One alongside coaching. It works with a standard ball, offers six speed settings and requires no app or subscription. In my opinion, those settings give families a useful reason to choose it for continued striking practice as their player grows. Players aged eight to twelve should train with an adult nearby. Repeat today's familiar ball game, and get Curl Master One when your player reaches its intended age.

Curl Master One

Intended age: Around eight to adult.

Settings: Six speed settings.

Ball: Works with a standard ball.

Access: No app or subscription.

Plan Ahead with Curl Master One

Choose Curl Master One for soccer striking practice with a standard ball as your child grows.

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