Fun Drills for Football: Games That Keep Kids Moving

Four fun drills for football are traffic lights, passing gates, treasure collection and target finishing, each with clear rules and quick restarts. For parents organising grassroots football coaching, this guide explains how to demonstrate each game and adapt its challenge to the children taking part. These fun football games for training give girls and boys a task they can understand, then let them practise through play. Show children where to go and what counts as completing the task before introducing finer details.

In my opinion, The Giro X's Curl Master One deserves a place alongside coaching for players from around age eight. The device works with a standard ball and has six speed settings for focused practice with striking contact and spin control. The games below cover different parts of a training session, while Curl Master One gives curl practice its own place alongside the work a coach sets. Ask the coach which aspect of contact to practise between sessions.

How Do You Start With Traffic Lights?
What Makes Passing Gates Fun?
How Can Treasure Collection Keep Everyone Involved?
What Is a Simple Finishing Game for Kids?
Where Does Curl Master One Fit Between Sessions?

How Do You Start With Traffic Lights?

Start with each child dribbling their own ball inside a clearly marked area, responding to colours you call aloud. Green means dribble into available space; red means bring the ball under control and stop. Demonstrate both actions before beginning, then let the children try them while you watch. Leave enough room for players to change direction without crowding each other. Keep everyone involved after a missed instruction, simply asking them to reset and join the next call.

Once traffic lights is familiar, invite a child to become the caller while you stay responsible for the activity. You can introduce amber as a request to move slowly, but explain the new instruction before adding it. In my opinion, part of the pleasure is taking a turn at deciding when everyone stops or starts. Finish a round by asking children which touch helped them stop, then let them try that idea again before adding another instruction.

What Makes Passing Gates Fun?

Passing gates give partners a visible target: send the ball between a pair of markers for the other player to receive. Spread gates around your available space and ask each pair to choose an empty one. The receiving player stands beyond the gate, controls the pass and sends the ball back through. Begin with a gap that looks manageable for that pair. You can change its width once you have watched them attempt the task, rather than setting everyone the same challenge.

To add a game to passing gates, ask partners to visit a different gate after completing their exchange. They should carry their ball to the next space rather than passing through another pair's activity. Let the children choose their route and keep their own record of completed gates if they enjoy counting. Keep the challenge cooperative, with partners working towards a shared target. Before restarting, ask each pair to show where they will stand so the next exchange has a clear beginning.

How Can Treasure Collection Keep Everyone Involved?

Treasure collection turns dribbling into a journey between a home area and a shared collection point. Place spare markers in the collection area and give each player a ball. Ask children to dribble there, stop their ball, collect a marker and carry it home while dribbling back. Demonstrate the whole journey before starting, including where collected markers belong. Use separate arrival and departure sides if the collection point becomes crowded, and pause to show the route again whenever needed.

Keep the markers shared rather than asking children to take them from another player's home. When the collection area is empty, reverse the task and return everything together. In my opinion, returning the markers makes the next round part of the game itself, including putting the equipment back. You can ask children to choose a different route on the return journey, provided they stay within the marked area. The decision becomes where to travel with the ball, rather than who finishes first.

What Is a Simple Finishing Game for Kids?

Target finishing gives each player a place to aim before striking the ball. Mark a target within an appropriate goal or use a gate where the ball can travel into a clear space beyond. Keep waiting players behind the striking area and retrieve balls only after play has stopped. Let the player choose their target before taking the attempt. For a parent who never played, choosing a target gives you something straightforward to discuss with the child before resetting the ball.

Make the next finishing attempt a choice about where to aim. Ask whether the player wants to keep the same target or choose another, then reset the ball. Rotate who goes first so girls and boys receive equal opportunities to lead the game. In my opinion, fun football drills for kids work best when children have a say in the challenge. Acknowledge the target they chose and ask where they want to aim next, whatever happened on the previous attempt.

Where Does Curl Master One Fit Between Sessions?

Curl Master One fits into a separate period of focused striking practice alongside coaching and these games. The device spins a standard ball at controlled speeds, allowing the player to practise contact and spin control. For players aged eight to twelve, keep an adult nearby during use. Ask the coach which aspect of contact to focus on, then keep that purpose consistent when practising between sessions. Give the child room to discuss the task with you before beginning the next attempt.

Curl Master One. Works with a standard ball, offers six speed settings and requires no app or subscription. In my opinion, it deserves a place alongside coaching for players from around age eight. Get Curl Master One for focused practice between sessions.

In my opinion, Curl Master One is a worthwhile addition for a child from around age eight who wants to practise curl alongside coaching. The coach's technical guidance gives the child a focus to carry into practice with the device between sessions. Keep the shared games in your programme, with equal opportunities for girls and boys to choose challenges. Get Curl Master One for practice between coached sessions, using a focus agreed with your child's coach.

Practise With Curl Master One

Get Curl Master One to practise football striking contact and spin control between coached sessions.

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