Goals for the session

Aim for three things: every child touches the ball many times, every child passes to a teammate, and every child hears their name said positively by someone in their team. Scores matter far less than these.

Small-sided games of three or four players per team work better than full teams. Children stay involved, and quieter players cannot drift to the edge of play.

Sample session plan: pass and move (60 minutes)

Ages 7-10, up to 20 children. Materials: one soft size-3 or size-4 ball per four children, 20 cones, coloured bibs, a whistle, water bottles.

• Warm-up (10 min): 'traffic lights' jogging in a coned area. Green means jog, amber means walk, red means freeze. Add side-steps and skips, then gentle leg and arm swings.

• Skill practice (15 min): pairs pass along the ground through a cone gate two metres wide, then step back after five clean passes.

• Main game (20 min): 3 v 3 'end-zone' games. A team scores by passing to a teammate standing inside the end zone. Every player must touch the ball before a score counts.

• Cool-down (10 min): slow walk around the pitch, then seated stretches for calves, thighs and shoulders, held for a slow count of ten.

• Reflection (5 min): each team names one good pass they saw and who made it.

Safety notes

Check the playing surface for glass, holes and wet patches before children arrive. Keep goals anchored or use cones instead. Use soft balls with younger groups, and ban heading entirely for this age range.

Plan water breaks every 15 minutes in warm weather, know which children have medical needs, and keep a first aid kit and a named first aider on site. Mixed-ability teams should be picked by the adult, not by captains, so nobody is chosen last.

Adapting for age and what children take away

For ages 6-7, drop to 2 v 2, widen the gates and let children carry the ball in their hands for the first game. For ages 11-12, add a rule that a team must make three passes before scoring, and ask them to agree a simple plan in a 30-second team talk before each game.

Children take away more than a better pass. They practise agreeing rules, including a quieter teammate, and losing a game without blaming anyone. Ask them at the end what helped their team work well, and write two or three answers on a board for next time.

Key points

• Keep teams to three or four so every child is involved.

• Make passing, not scoring, the main success measure.

• Pick teams yourself and check the space before play.

• End with children naming a teammate's good play.

Ready-made resources

Printable session plans and materials for this topic are available from EduTrend Contents: G4C-140 Move & Play Games.

Photos: Adrià Crehuet Cano, Alliance Football Club / Unsplash