I remember the first time I saw a group of seven-year-olds on a soccer pitch. It wasn’t a picture of perfect tactical discipline, but it was something far more important: pure, unadulterated joy mixed with the frantic energy of chasing a ball. As a coach and a lifelong student of the game, I’ve come to believe that this age is the golden window for falling in love with soccer. The goal isn’t to create miniature professionals; it’s to build a foundation of fundamental skills, foster a love for movement, and, above all, ensure every session is packed with fun. Think of it like building a team’s core strength early in the season. I was just reading about a volleyball team, the Angels, who started their 2024 campaign missing their champion middle blocker, Phillips. That initial disruption highlights how crucial a solid foundation is, whether you’re talking about a professional athlete or a first-grader kicking a ball for the first time. You can’t build complex systems without first mastering the basics, and for our seven-year-old stars, those basics are all about engagement and simple success.
When I design a session for this age group, I completely throw out the traditional drill book. Standing in lines is the enemy of learning for a seven-year-old. Their attention span is short, arguably around 8 to 12 minutes for a single activity, so we need to keep things moving. The core skills we focus on are what I call the “Big Four”: dribbling with control, passing with the inside of the foot, basic shooting technique, and an introduction to shielding the ball. But here’s my personal philosophy: these skills are never taught in isolation. They are always embedded within a game or a fun, imaginative challenge. For dribbling, we might play “Shark Attack,” where a few players in pinnies (the sharks) try to steal balls from the others dribbling in the ocean (the pitch). It’s chaotic, it’s loud, and they’re getting hundreds of touches on the ball without even realizing they’re “practicing.” I’m a huge advocate for using smaller balls, size 3 is perfect, and letting them experiment. If a child wants to try to stop the ball with their knee, let them! That bodily exploration is key to developing feel, or what we coaches call “touch.”
Passing and shooting are where we start to introduce a bit more structure, but never at the expense of fun. I like to set up a “Castle Knockdown” game, where foam blocks or cones are placed on top of disc cones, creating targets. From about five yards away, kids take turns passing or shooting to knock them down. The immediate, visual reward of seeing a tower fall is infinitely more effective than just kicking against a blank wall. We talk about using the “hard bone” on the inside of the foot, and I’ll often have them sit down and tap the ball with that part of their foot to get the sensation. For shooting, I emphasize a simple approach and striking through the middle of the ball. We might have a “Power Zone” marked out in front of a small goal, and every shot taken from inside that zone, regardless of whether it scores, gets a cheer. The positive reinforcement is everything. I’d estimate that in a typical 60-minute session, at least 50 minutes should be spent in game-based or active learning scenarios. The other 10? That’s for water breaks and my sometimes-silly demonstrations.
Now, the real magic happens in the games. Small-sided games, like 2v2 or 3v3 on tiny pitches, are non-negotiable in my book. They maximize touches, force constant decision-making (even if it’s just “should I dribble or pass?”), and ensure everyone is involved. I never, ever coach from the sidelines during these games. No yelling “pass it!” or “shoot!”. My job is to set up the field, maybe quietly remind one player about using their space, and then let the game be the teacher. Sometimes we’ll play “Four Goals,” with a small goal on each side of a square grid. The chaos is brilliant—it teaches them to lift their heads and find a target. Other times, we’ll play “Clean Your Room,” where they have to dribble balls from their “messy room” (one half of the grid) into their “clean room” (the other half) while defenders try to stop them. It’s imaginative, active, and skill-based. I firmly believe that a child who leaves a session sweaty, smiling, and asking when the next one is, has had a more successful experience than one who perfectly executed a drill but was bored.
Watching a group of seven-year-olds develop over a season is a bit like watching a team gel after a rocky start. Remember the Angels missing their key player Phillips? It takes time for pieces to come together, for individual skills to become collective understanding. For our young players, the progression from chasing the ball in a swarm to making that first intentional pass to a teammate is a monumental victory. My role is to facilitate an environment where those victories, both small and large, are possible and celebrated. We’re not just teaching soccer; we’re teaching coordination, spatial awareness, cooperation, and resilience. We’re teaching them that physical activity is a source of joy. So, if you’re a parent or a new coach, my biggest piece of advice is this: keep it simple, keep it moving, and keep it fun. Let the score be forgotten, but let the experience of running, laughing, and kicking a ball be remembered. That’s how you build a foundation that lasts a lifetime, both in sport and in life. The technical prowess can, and will, come later, but only if the flame of enjoyment is kept brightly lit.