The Two Best Water Play Soccer Games For Young Kids
Keeping players engaged during the summer heat can be tricky. They either cling to the shade or are constantly asking for water breaks. Spray bottles are great to use, and you can even incorporate some light water play towards the end of your sessions. This gives them something to look forward to and a chance to cool off while having fun. Here are 2 of my favorite games and drills to use for young players of all skill levels when it’s a hot day.
Game #1: Duck Duck Splash
Make a large circle with mats or cones using as many as there are players to sit on or next to. Every player should have a ball next to them. Following the same rules as duck duck goose but including balls, one player will dribble their ball around the outside of the circle saying, “duck” as they pass by other players until saying “splash” instead of “goose”. You can either give a player a sponge, splash-ball, or spray bottle to splash the player of their choice. Once a player is splashed, they must chase the other player around the circle while both players attempt to keep control of their ball. The player who said “splash” must try to get to the other players spot before they catch them, performing a stop position next to the cone or mat. The player who was splashed must try to tag the other player with their ball or beat them to the spot. Make sure everyone gets a turn to be the splasher and encourage players to splash children who have not been splashed yet (if they are ok with getting wet).
Game #2: Sponge Relay
Separate everyone into smaller teams of 3-5 players. Each group should have a ball, a sponge and they should be lined up behind cones equally spaced out from each other. Roughly 10 yards away from each cone place an empty cup or pitcher for each team. Be sure each team has a bucket of water next to their starting cones larger than the cup or pitcher they must fill up across from them. Depending on the skill level of your players you can make the distance they have to run shorter or longer.
The object of this game is for each team to transfer water from their bucket using their sponge to fill up the cup or pitcher that is across from them. The first team to fill their cup or pitcher so high that it overflows, wins. Players from each team can transfer water one at a time but also must take the ball with them (only using their feet) to and from the cup or pitcher they’re filling up. Once they get to the cup or pitcher, they can squeeze water into it from the sponge and then must race back to their team to pass the ball and sponge to the next player in line.
When time expires or one of the teams fills their cup or pitcher so high that it overflows you can stop play. Each team gets to pour their pitcher or cup of water evenly on the opposing teams heads as they sit in a line. The players will enjoy cooling off while also getting their friends wet. If you’re up for it, you can allow the winning team to pour their water on a coach’s head. This adds a silly element of fun to your sessions that most kids really enjoy.
