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1300 543 725 Soccer
Ghazal Mohebbi
Educator @ Macquarie Park
Are you looking for a fun and engaging activity to do with your kids at home? Why not try soccer?
Engaging in team sports offers numerous benefits that go beyond physical activity, and provide numerous benefits to your children including:
- Enhancing their gross motor skills, coordination and overall fitness
- Builds healthy habits
- Improves physical development, flexibility, and strength
- Teaches teamwork, communication, perseverance, and other important values
- Increases self-esteem and confidence through skill development and positive reinforcement
- Enhances spatial awareness, agility, and focus, which can transfer to other areas of life
- Promotes happiness and the production of feel-good hormones like dopamine and serotonin
- Promotes a healthy lifestyle and lays a foundation for lifelong commitment to physical activity
The best part is, you can easily do it at home with some basic equipment and guidance.
Items and Equipment Needed
- Some soccer balls (size 3 for younger kids and size 4 for older ones)
- Cones or markers to create boundaries,
- Optional: mini goals for shooting practice
Method/Steps
- Warm-up: Start with some simple stretches and warm-up exercises to prepare your child’s body for physical activity. For example, you can do some jumping jacks, lunges, or high knees.
- Skill-building activities: Introduce basic soccer skills, such as dribbling, passing, and shooting, through fun and age-appropriate activities. For younger kids, you can play games like “Red Light, Green Light” or “Follow the Leader,” where they practice dribbling and following instructions. For older kids, you can set up obstacle courses or passing drills.
- Small-sided games: Divide your family into teams and play small-sided games to practice the skills you learned and foster teamwork and sportsmanship. For example, you can play 2v2 or 3v3 games in a small area, or create a mini tournament with other families in your neighbourhood.
- Cool-down: End the session with some gentle stretches and relaxation exercises to cool down and prevent injuries. You can do some yoga poses, breathing exercises, or simply lie down and relax together.
Final Words or Additional Information
By trying soccer at home with your kids, you can not only have fun and bond with your family, but also promote their physical and social development. Participating in soccer cultivates a sense of Belonging and Wellbeing. Children feel part of a team, develop a sense of identity, and experience a sense of pride and accomplishment. They gain confidence as they improve their skills, learn to handle success and failure, and persevere through challenges.
And who knows, you may even discover some hidden soccer talents in your little ones!
