Genuinely, football for kids receives a fair share of negativity due to the injuries it causes to kids. In most instances, parents and other stakeholders argue that football games for kids attract many dangers, including head trauma. Nonetheless, even with the risks that football for kids causes, it remains the most exciting and rewarding sports activity that children can play freely. Injuries occur even to the best players in the world. We see that every day and therefore, this shouldn’t be an excuse to deprive children of participating in the kids’ football games. If you are keen enough, the best players begin practicing football at an early age. This article, among other issues, talks about football games for kids and their benefits. Let’s have a look!
⚽ From What Age Can They Play Football?
Children can play football from the age of 5.
⚽ What Football Games Can Children Play?
The most popular football games for kids:
- Simon Says;
- Traffic lights;
- Sharks and Minnows;
- Piggy in the Middle;
- Musical chairs;
- Cops and Robbers;
- Relay race;
- King of the Hill;
- Gates.
⚽ What equipment do children's footballers need?
- Training cones;
- Training ladder;
- Rebounder;
- Kick-up trainer;
- Training hurdles.
What Football Games Can Children Play?
Depending on what you are eying for, there are various football games kids can participate in. Perhaps you want to nurture your kid’s talents while still young, or maybe you want to get them up for physical fitness. Some prefer to introduce their kids to play football as a way to engage them. Kids play football to enjoy – the following outlines football for kids’ games.
Simon Says
This game is interesting. It begins by giving instructions to the kids by simply saying “Simon Says” and instructions follow. This game can be a mixture of various calls, such as asking kids to pass the ball to other kids or simply asking the children to make sharp turns. This football for kids helps the children in developing listening skills, awareness, and dribbling.
Traffic Lights
Everyone must understand the meaning of each color. Once the coaches ascertain that every child fully understands the purpose of the colors, the game begins. You may then ask children to dribble around the grid, listening out for the colors. Once the colors are said, players must follow the instruction. Elimination of players who don’t follow instructions is done to make the game more serious. This kids’ football game is essential to enhance decision-making, awareness, coordination, and dribbling.
Sharks and Minnows
This game begins with marking a grid and assigning the shark’s role to one kid and the rest known as minnows. Ever seen how bulldog plays? The goal is always to make it from one side to the other. Sharks minnows follow suit. Each minnow is given a ball for this game and then dribbles the other side as the sharks keep their cool. The exciting part is where every time a minnow loses, they cross to become a shark. The game should go on until they are left with one minnow. The importance of this game is to assist kids in developing ball controls, awareness, dribbling, and tackling tactics.
Piggy in the Middle
This game involves as few players. One player is given the role of piggy as the rest pass the ball between them, evading piggy. In case the ball intercepts, the final player to touch it becomes the piggy. Many players can play this game following the initial instructions. This game helps children to develop decision-making, accuracy, and interceptions tactics.
Musical Chairs
This football for kids game works the same manner as musical chairs work. Play music with a set of football is put next to each other. You must ensure there is one lacking ball than the number of players. In short, players must exceed the number of balls by one. Kids are then put to walk around the balls as the music plays. Once the music stops, they must race to collect the balls. There is the elimination for each player that fails to pick a ball. The game continues, and eliminations are done until one player is left. The importance of this game is to help kids gain sharpness, stamina, and reactions skills.
Cops and Robbers
This game is set to have cops and robbers where robbers must be more than the cops. Each cop is given a ball, whereas robbers aren’t. At the center, an area is marked as “bank “. The goal is for the robbers to tackle the cops until they take the ball out of the bank. In the event robbers take the ball, each cop that loses becomes a robber. The game goes on until one cop remains. This game help children to improve skills in tackling, self-awareness, dribbling, and shielding.
Relay Race
This game involves several or one team competing to see who would finish first. Players run to the end, where other players wait. The next player begins their session once the other players tag them. This game doesn’t necessarily need a ball. The importance of this game is to improve teamwork, reactions, and pace skills among children.
King of the Hill
This game involves some chaos but in a funny way. The coaches set up a grid for every player to dribble a ball inside. The game’s goal is to help players control the ball, and each time they kick the ball out of the grid, eliminations begin. This football for kids helps them to improve shielding, dribbling, speed timing, and tackling tactics.
Gates
This game resembles the typical football game, except that there are no goals and goalkeepers. This game does not involve ball shoots, but it involves passes through the counterparts. It aims to improve teamwork, passing skills, tackling, defending, careful movements, and dribbling tactics.
From What Age Can They Play Football?
Several considerations are put in place regarding the right age for the children to start playing football. However, most leagues, stakeholders, and schools introduce football games for kids as early as five years. When children are young, they are prone to head injuries while playing football. At this critical time, the brain is undergoing some processes. In addition, children have weak necks and torsos, which make them subject to injuries. Experts argue that children should begin playing football at younger ages to minimize injuries when they are old.
The Benefits of Football for Children’s Health and Development
Participating in football games for kids has health and physical benefits for children. Kids play football to improve their fitness, speed, strength and develop cardiovascular endurance.
- Firstly, kids football game helps kids keep their bodies in suitable shapes, boost children’s stamina, and improve their cardiovascular endurance. Kids play football without realizing that they are doing exercises on their bodies.
- Improves mental resilience. In football, there are winners and losers. When children accept losing, they naturally activate their mental stability and attitude. A child’s development at dealing with things, especially when disappointments occur, improves.
- Promoting physical fitness. Football is a demanding sport. Whenever children play, they are in constant movement. The game requires speed and strength when playing. Bones develop fully and gain the strength to handle the pressure in football. Most teams train every day, and therefore, it enhances overall body fitness for the children.
- Psychological development. Football games for kids involve listening, following, and abiding by the instructor’s rules in the pitch. Children gain the psychological skills to deal with temper when they follow the rules effectively. Football can also help to instill self-esteem and improve confidence in children while still young. When kids play football, they minimize the aspect of shyness. Equally, football requires sharpness and concentration, which helps children develop their thinking, decision-making, and endurance skills.
Children’s Football Equipment
Children’s football training can sometimes be dull due to the age of kids. However, there are some types of equipment that may juicy up and improve the training. They include:
- Training Cones. Training cones are essential because their wide range use is essential while dribbling around; they mark out the grids and serve as goals or targets while training children.
- Training Ladder. The training ladder is vital to improve quick feet. The ladder has spaces between each rung to train children to step each rung with pace. The ladder helps children to improve their speed, pace, stamina, and agility.
- Rebounder. The rebounder helps the child kick the ball and improve the skills of passes because when they kick the ball to the rebounder, it returns to them. It also helps to train the child’s first ball control and touches.
- Kick-Up Trainer. This involves a ball on a string to help in improving in controlling the ball. Kick-up trainers are nets that are put in a string that attaches the player. They also help in enhancing kick-up techniques without losing or missing the ball.
- Training Hurdles. Training hurdles are training kits that emulate the actual running on the football field. There are different running methods on the football pitch, and the training hurdles can emulate that.
Football Games for Kids – Conclusion
Football games for kids are essential to children. Kids play football for fun without realizing that they are exercising and improving their health and physical fitness. The kids’ football games can also help children to improve their decision-making skills and improve their self-esteem. It is also vital for children to participate in football to help them nurture their talents.
