With the summer holidays fast approaching, and all the free time it brings, here are 3 fun ways to introduce football for under 5s at home! Before joining a football academy, you might want to test the waters and see if your little one takes a shine to it. Continue reading for games and ideas for storytime.
Why Should You Introduce Football For Under 5s At Home?
Sports are undoubtedly a fun and healthy way to keep your child occupied, but that is not the only benefit of introducing a sport like football at a young age! Children who are more active can improve their self-esteem, physical well-being, mental well-being and social skills.
Young children who take part in sports can use their skills to help them perform better in school too. Football is also proven to help cognitive development in children, further enhancing their performance in school.
3 Fun Ways To Introduce Football For Under 5s At Home
If you’re a football fan, or just excited to see your little one’s passions grow, then you probably can’t wait to introduce them to football.
We at Kixx understand that it might be overwhelming when children first join a football academy. They’ll likely be sidetracked by all the new faces and surroundings, rather than the session itself (don’t worry, this happens with many children). Easing your little ones into the concept of football at home first is a great way to start them off!
There are a lot of ways you can do this that will engage different methods of learning. Whether your child picks things up through visual aids, listening, reading, or doing… Here are 3 fun ways to introduce football for under 5s at home!
1. Use Storytelling To Introduce Football For Under 5s At Home
Children’s Books About Football
Football-themed books are one way to introduce football for under 5s at home. From tales of football superstars to sneaky tackles, there’s a lot of information to be absorbed and enjoyed through non-fiction or fiction tales.
Not only does reading with young children offer a whole host of benefits, but it can also inspire wonder and intrigue. Many hobbies are born from books, as children wish to emulate the fun they imagine their favourite characters having. Some of you reading this may have attempted a Horrid Henry prank when you were young… It’s the same with introducing football, just less chaos!
Follow this link to some recommended children’s books about football!
Using Toys To Create Characters
This is one of our favourites… Five a side with Teddy, Rubber Ducky, Mickey Mouse, Scooby Doo and Batman… Now THAT is a fantasy football team we can get behind! Did somebody say #Euros2024?
Using props and much-loved toys to simulate a game of football is a great way to introduce football for under 5s at home. It removes any of the seriousness and brings the game back to what it is truly all about, fun and play!
And as we know, interactive play hosts a lot of benefits for children’s learning and development, so it’s a great way to familiarise them with the much-beloved game of football!
2. Create A Mini Obstacle Course
This is definitely aimed toward kinaesthetic learners… or any little ones who have lots of energy to burn off!
Creating a mini obstacle course in the garden or in an open space inside is a great introduction to the skills required in football lessons for under 5s.
Through playing, children learn how to guide and navigate their way around obstacles. Fast forward a few years and the bowl from the kitchen posing as an obstacle might become a real player!
Obstacle courses are a great way to work on motor skills, balance, and coordination, all of which are required in the game of football. It can also be added to the list of fun things to do with the kids while at home!
3. Play Football-Themed Games
You can even introduce football for under 5s at home with drills of simple skills. And this doesn’t have to be in the style of a training session. You can turn it into a game or a competition for all the family!
Passing Practice
With a softball, you and your little one can practice passing back and forth. Children under 5 are usually already accustomed to the function of a ball (being to roll), however, they may still need to work on their aim and control. Starting them off on this basic skill will make the entire game of goal feel less daunting.
Goal Scoring
Using boxes or cushions, you can set up a mini-goal net and simulate your very own penalty shootout. This can get pretty competitive and is even fun for the adults to join in on. This is also a drill we practice and train in football lessons, so your little one can get some pre-training in and WOW the class!
Ball Control
You can even try some dribbling practices with a softball! Depending on how well your child is doing with the obstacle course, this could be the next stage of amping up the difficulty.
Introduce Football For Under 5s At Home: Get Ready For Kixx!
At Kixx, we are fully invested in bringing the best out of everyone. We deliver football training sessions to boys and girls aged 18 months and 10 years of age!
When you introduce football for under 5s at home, you get a good idea if your toddler is ready to join a football academy.
We find that under 5s who have been introduced to football at home, tend to have more confidence when they start training lessons. However, our innovative curriculum aims to bring this out in everyone, by emphasising physical and social development in toddlers. Find a children’s football training academy near you here.
If you have any questions about what happens in our football lessons for 5 year olds, or football coaching for toddlers, check out our blogs or feel free to contact us.
