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Free practice plan · Ages 5–6 · KindergartenA U6 dribbling practice plan:
Cones and Monsters
Sessions at this age are stories with a ball in them. Sixty minutes, six to twelve players, one ball each, and two coaching points for the whole night: head up, keep the ball close. Every activity here is free on this site, with its own page and an animated video.
- Head up.
- Keep the ball close.
Bring: 1 ball per player, 20 cones in 2 colors, 4 cone goals, pinnies in 2 colors.
Your job: Play along, be silly, and use every kid’s name.
The session, minute by minute
Free play on the island
ArrivalEvery player gets a ball the moment they arrive and explores inside the cones however they like. Meet each child, learn names, and start telling the shark story so the first game begins itself. Played before? Swap this for 2v2 or 3v3 to cone goals as players arrive.
Soccer Island
Every weekEveryone dribbles inside the island. Sharks wait in the water outside the cones to steal any ball that floats away. Get in there and play along. You will open with this game every week.
EasierCarry the ball in your hands first.
HarderCoach becomes a shark on the island.
If it stallsBalls flying out? Shrink the island; walk only.
Cone Colors
PracticeScatter 8 to 12 cones around the grid, half one color and half another. One color is Number 1, the other is Number 2. Players dribble around; when you call a number they dribble to a cone of that color and stop the ball with their foot. One rule: never the same cone twice in a row.
EasierCall the color instead of the number.
HarderSay nothing: hold a cone in the air. Players have to look up, spot the color, and go.
If it stallsEveryone racing to one cone? Put out more cones than players and remind them: a different cone every time.
Water break
WaterThree minutes. Balls stay on the island.
Cone Monster
PracticeThe coach is the Cone Monster and carries a cone. Everyone else dribbles. If the monster puts its cone on your ball, you freeze: ball on your head, legs apart. A teammate frees you by passing a ball through your legs.
EasierThe monster walks and roars before every catch.
HarderA player becomes the monster.
If it stallsMonster can't catch anyone? Shrink the grid or add a second monster.
3v3 on two small fields
The game3v3 on two small fields with cone goals. Walk each team to the goal they score in before you start. Expect a swarm around the ball; that is normal. Coach only today's two points.
The coach tip
To mix up Cone Colors, change speeds between calls, or add toe touches on the ball while they wait at a cone.
Questions coaches ask
How long should a U6 practice be?
45 to 60 minutes with a ball each. If the group is fading, cut an activity, not the game.
What if everyone races to the same cone?
Put out more cones than players and remind them: a different cone every time.
Is a swarm around the ball normal?
Yes. Expect it. Coach only today’s two points and let them play.
More free practice plans
Thirty-six sessions like this one, Pre-K to 2nd grade
The Full Season Intramural Curriculum is one page per session for four grades, eight weeks each, with an easier and a harder version of every activity, a fix for when it turns to chaos, and an animated video of all 112 activities. Built so a professional trainer and a parent who volunteered last week run the same session.