Fun football games for kids: 10 games with the ball for ages 4 to 9

With young children, the game is the session. A good football game for kids has three things: every child touches the ball a lot, nobody waits in a queue, and the rules can be explained in thirty seconds. If they also keep score, even better.

These are the ten games I use most with U6–U10 groups. All of them are in the library with their diagram, set-up and variations.

Treasure Thieves: two teams, each with its own base, and the treasure, a pile of balls, in the middle. Players dribble balls to their base one at a time, and when the middle is empty they can raid the other team's base. Lots of short trips with the ball and a decision on every one.

Dribbling Statues: everyone dribbles freely and freezes with the sole on the ball at the signal. It trains close control without saying so: only a child with the ball close can stop in time.

Cross the River: everyone dribbles across at the same time while the crocodiles try to kick the balls out. Whoever loses their ball becomes a crocodile, so each round is harder.

Ball Collectors: teams race to collect balls into their square, one ball at a time and never with the hands. Lots of dribbling, shielding and decisions with large groups.

King of the Square: each player protects their own ball and tries to knock out the others. Nobody is eliminated: whoever loses their ball does a quick task and comes back in.

Piggy in the Middle: two pass, one chases in a small square. It is the first step towards the rondo: the passers learn to move sideways to open a passing line.

Cone Knockdown: two teams, each in its own half, pass and shoot to knock down the other team's cones. Nobody can cross the halfway line, so there is no crowding and even the shyest children touch the ball.

Colour Goals: everyone dribbles in a central square until the coach calls a colour. Then they find that goal, leave the square and shoot. Everyone shoots in every round.

Numbers Game: two teams on the sidelines, each child with a number. The coach calls a number and those two race out for a 1v1 to the mini-goals. Call two or three numbers for a 2v2 or a 3v3.

First Match, 2v2 with wide goals: the real game, made small. With two per team every child is close to the ball, and the coach rolls a new ball in as soon as one goes out. Set up several pitches and rotate the teams.

Explain only the main rule, start playing and add the rest after the first round. Show it rather than describe it.

Play short rounds of 2–3 minutes and change something in each one: the teams, the signal, the size of the area. Children of this age switch off when a game gets repetitive.

Finish calmly. The stretching story turns the cool-down into a short tale with animals, so the children leave relaxed and in a good mood.

If you want to join several of these games into a session, the session planner does it for you: choose the age group, the number of children and the minutes, and it proposes a warm-up, a main part and a cool-down with games from the library. Then print it or save it as a PDF to take to the pitch.