We keep hearing about the lack of unstructured play that the kids have these days. All of a sudden coaches are “forced” to dedicate half of the practice to the players just kicking a ball without much structure. Instead what they need is a soccer ball just being around the house that they can kick whenever they want. While watching TV or waiting for dinner to be ready, just have it be there. The great thing about this plush toy is that you can use it from a very young age. Most kids have a plush toy they are attached to. They go everywhere with it, eat with it, fall asleep with it… Sometimes it’s a dinosaur or a bunny, but imagine if it’s a soccer ball. Give it a try and you never know – maybe it’s going to develop an instant love for soccer!

Kids need to have fun, but they need to see a ball moving and be able to kick it. So, regular soccer balls will not do because they are too heavy. Neither would random balls because they just have different physics. Instead, get the right size balls, size 2 or 3, that are appropriate for the feet size. The kids love them and they can practice hitting it differently. You want as realistic a representation of the soccer world as possible but in a controlled environment. I would definitely recommend having at least one ball for indoors and one for outdoors.

This one is a bit tough because they grow so fast! If you are playing only indoors, then you don’t need them right away. If you see that the kid loves playing, you can use it as a stepping stone to get them playing outside with other kids or maybe a rec league. However, once they get on the grass, get them the shoes. If you are wondering about the soil – get one level below the recommended one. If they play on grass, get the turf shoes. If they play on turf, get the futsal one. They will feel more comfortable, have better control, and can use their shoes outside of soccer. You don’t want them to outgrow the shoes after 5 practices.

Human brains are good at synthesizing information and signals. Kids need to have multiple stimulants to develop affinity and interest. Obviously, one is to have the family around – playing with parents and siblings is vital at the beginning. But also, unlike pro athletes, you can’t have them play for hours and hours. Instead, you can read books to them about soccer. Of course, you can also do other things like watch some videos or even bake cookies shaped like soccer balls. Those are fun. However, you want to grow persons first, and soccer players second. Let me not convince you why books work. They do at this age and hopefully for the rest of their lives.

It’s not a soccer game without a goal! The reason why I like this goal is that it’s scalable. Firstly, it’s a popup goal that can be folded and transported whenever you need to. Secondly, it has options to either work as a full goal or be marked with holes on the sides. This is so crucial as your kid gets too good for the open goal or needs to challenge themselves. Thirdly, this goal works great for the backyard or park. There are pins you can use to ground it and bring stability. I have used many other goals and they are good if you have large groups of players. However, this is the one you want for your kid – it’s great for indoors, great for beginners, and excellent when they get better and want to play outside.

Not everything needs to be about playing soccer. Whatever your kid needs to be engaged, you should do that. If the kid needs to do a dance with the ball, that’s ok. Sometimes you might need to include a candy, a song, or a goofy outfit. For those into the arts, we found a great idea to paint a lamp with their favorite colors. The actual painting is interesting, but also it keeps reminding the kid of soccer because it’s there all the time. Don’t forget that they need multiple inputs and reminders to inspire them. There are other ideas for painting and decorating, but we liked this one as a great reminder on a daily basis.