Soccer Drills for 6 Year Olds: A Parent Practice Guide

Start with three soccer drills for 6 year olds: traffic light dribbling, gate passing and shooting through a target gate. Demonstrate each action and explain how to restart, keeping your daughter's or son's practice connected with youth soccer coaching. This guide explains how to demonstrate each activity and adapt it for practice at home or with a group. The Giro X sells Curl Master One, intended for players from around age 8 through adulthood. I recommend getting Curl Master One when your child reaches that age range, alongside their coaching.

What Should You Check Before Choosing A Drill?

Choose an activity you can demonstrate, including what happens when the ball leaves the playing area. Ask your child which instruction their coach is currently using, then carry that wording into practice. Girls and boys should both have opportunities to try every activity, with adjustments based on the individual player. Before beginning, show where the activity starts and where your child collects the ball. Ask them to demonstrate the restart so you can check that your explanation was clear.

Gather a ball and flat markers, with contrasting pinnies if you are arranging teams. Choose a space where you have permission to play and can separate shooting from other activities. For families in Ontario, British Columbia or Quebec, check the arrangements for the actual field or indoor space before setting out markers. Confirm which areas you may use and where other activities will take place. If several families are sharing the space, agree on the playing boundaries before children begin.

How Do You Play Traffic Light Dribbling?

Begin with green for dribbling and red for stopping the ball beneath the sole while standing still. Mark a rectangle with enough room for each player to choose an open route. Demonstrate gentle touches that keep the ball within reach, then show the stop before calling either signal. When a ball leaves the area, its player collects it and returns through an empty edge. At home, you can call from outside the rectangle while your child moves inside the boundary.

Add amber when your child understands the first signals: stop the ball, roll it backwards with the sole, then turn and follow it in the opposite direction. Demonstrate the whole movement before including amber in the game. I would change the challenge through the turning instruction rather than asking for more speed. Partners sharing a ball can swap the dribbling and calling roles after a stop, handing over the stationary ball before the next player enters the area.

What Makes Gate Passing Easy To Explain?

Gate passing gives the child a visible opening to aim through and a clear receiving task. Place flat markers apart to form a gate, with partners facing each other on opposite sides. Demonstrate stepping beside the ball and passing through the opening with the inside of the other foot. The receiver cushions the arriving ball, brings it under control and passes back. Leave collection space behind each player, and explain that the nearest partner retrieves a missed pass while the other waits.

Start with an opening your child can comfortably aim through, adjusting the width after watching their attempts. Bring partners closer if the pass repeatedly stops before reaching the receiver; increase the distance when they want another challenge. As a parent, try receiving passes using the same demonstration you show your child. For solo practice, have your child pass through the gate, walk around the markers and collect the ball before returning from the opposite side. Demonstrate this collection route before beginning.

How Should You Arrange Target Shooting?

Arrange target shooting with a clear shooting lane and a collection route outside the lane. Use a gate as the target and demonstrate striking a stationary ball towards the opening with the inside of the foot. Let your child choose a comfortable starting position, then adjust the position together after several attempts. Explain that the shooter collects the ball before another turn begins. At home, stand behind the starting position while watching, leaving the target and the space beyond it clear.

For a group, give pairs separate lanes facing the same direction, with waiting partners behind their starting positions. Each shooter retrieves their ball along the outside route before exchanging roles. Widen the target or move the starting point closer when you want to simplify the task. I would use the coach's current contact cue here, because a familiar cue gives parents a specific instruction to reinforce. Ask your daughter or son what they were trying to do before offering another explanation.

How Can You Put The Activities Into A Practice?

Use the activities in sequence, then finish with a game that lets children choose when to pass or shoot. I suggest beginning with a demonstration and traffic light dribbling, moving to gate passing once everyone understands the restart. Follow with target shooting, allowing time for transitions and water pauses. Adapt the sequence to the children taking part. If attention shifts, simplify the current task or move to the finishing game instead of adding another instruction for children to remember.

For the finishing game, use opposite gates as goals and begin with a pair on each team, without fixed positions or goalkeepers. Explain a restart from the centre after a goal and a pass from the boundary when the ball leaves play. Ask opponents to leave room for the restart pass. An unmatched player can support whichever team has possession, changing sides when possession changes. At home, a parent and child can defend opposite gates and restart together after each goal.

Curl Master One

Curl Master One works with a standard ball and requires no app or subscription, for players from around age 8 through adulthood.

Close practice by asking which activity your child wants to repeat and which instruction they want to discuss with their coach. I recommend getting Curl Master One when your daughter or son reaches its intended range, from around age 8 through adulthood. In my opinion, dedicated practice on striking contact and spin control deserves a place alongside coaching. As your child approaches that age range, ask the coach which contact cue to carry into practice with Curl Master One.

Practise Soccer With Curl Master One

Use Curl Master One with a standard soccer ball alongside coaching.

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