Fun Football Drills for Kids: 10 Exercises for Home and the Pitch

Why practice outside training pays off

We see it every week at our sessions in Almere: the players who improve fastest aren’t necessarily the most talented — they’re the kids who also play with the ball outside of training. Fifteen minutes a day on the ball does more for a child’s touch than one long session per week.

The good news: that practice doesn’t have to be boring. Below are 10 fun football drills for kids you can do in the garden, on the street or on the pitch. You barely need any equipment — a ball, a few cones (or shoes and bottles) and a wall are enough.

Technique & ball feel

1. The sole rolls (be the boss of the ball)

Have your child roll the ball back with the sole, stop it, and push it forward again — 20 times with the left foot, 20 with the right. It sounds simple, but this is the foundation of ball control. Our coaches start every session with it.

2. Toe taps between two cones

Place two cones 1 metre apart. Tap the ball back and forth as fast as possible with the inside of both feet. Count how many in 30 seconds and try to beat your own record. Perfect for quick feet.

3. Wall passes

Pass against a wall and control the return. Start with the inside of the foot, then one-touch (first touch), then alternate left/right. A wall is the most patient training partner there is.

Dribbling & agility

4. The slalom course

Line up 5 cones (or use shoes). Dribble through them as tightly as possible with small touches. Variation: outside of the foot only, or left foot only. Small touches beat big kicks — that’s the golden rule.

5. 1-v-1 gates

Make small gates out of cones. The child scores as many gates as possible by dribbling through them within 1 minute. Great as a mini-contest against a sibling or parent.

6. Cuts and turns

Practise the chop, the Cruyff turn and the drag-back — 10 times per foot. These are the moves players use to create space in a match.

Finishing & goalkeeping

7. Aim for the corners

Put cones in the corners of a small goal (or between two shoes). Points for every corner you hit. Accurate placement matters more than power — especially for young players.

8. Volley from the hand

Toss the ball up and strike it out of the air against the wall or into the goal. Trains timing and clean striking technique.

9. Keeper duel

One child shoots, the other keeps — then swap. Kids who occasionally go in goal also become better outfield players, because they learn to “read” where the ball is going.

Just for fun

10. Free-kick challenge

Build a little wall of bottles and try to curl the ball over it. Nothing motivates kids like practising their own “worldie”.

Tips from our coaches

• Short and often beats long and rare. 10–15 minutes a day is ideal.
• Make it a game. Count points, keep records, challenge each other. Fun drives repetition, and repetition drives growth.
• Both feet. Let your child deliberately use the “weaker” foot — that’s where the biggest gains are at a young age.
• Quality over quantity. Ten sharp repetitions are worth more than a hundred sloppy ones.

From home practice to focused development

Practising at home lays the foundation. Want your child to really progress in technique, game intelligence and confidence? At Rise With Talent, our football school in Almere, we train in small groups, duos and private sessions so every player gets plenty of ball contacts and personal attention.

Curious whether it fits your child? Book a free trial session and come train with us in Almere.