AUSTIN HEARTS FCTrain · Play · Belong
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Ages 4–7The FUNdamentals Stage

Little Hearts

Fall in love with the ball.

At this age the ball is a toy and you are the host of a party. Success = big smiles, lots of touches, and kids asking to come back.

New · Full season plan

A whole year, planned for you

52 weeks · 104 ready-to-run sessions (2 per week), each with exact run sheets and outcomes.

Open the season plan →

Our philosophy for this age

Everything is play. There are no drills, only games. Every child has a ball at their feet as much as possible — you want hundreds of touches per session, not turns waiting in line. You are not building soccer players yet; you are building movers who think soccer is the best part of their week.

✓ Coaching tips that work

  • •Avoid the 3 L's: Lines, Laps, and Lectures. If kids are waiting, you've lost them.
  • •Coach in 10-second bursts. Demonstrate more than you explain — show, don't tell.
  • •Use their names constantly and celebrate effort loudly.
  • •Get down on their level physically when you talk to them.
  • •End every activity while they still want more — leave them hungry.
  • •Parents are part of the experience — give them one simple thing to cheer for.

✗ Avoid these

  • •Long instructions or chalk-talk — they will sit in the grass and pick clover.
  • •Elimination games where a kid sits out for 10 minutes after one mistake.
  • •Worrying about positions, tactics, or 'spreading out' — it's developmentally too early.
  • •Heading the ball (not age-appropriate and discouraged for safety).
  • •Keeping score as the point of the day.

What these kids are actually like

Coach the child in front of you. Understanding how they think and grow is half the job.

  • 🧠Attention span is roughly their age in minutes — a 5-year-old gives you ~5 focused minutes per activity.
  • 🧠They play beside each other more than with each other; sharing and teamwork are still developing.
  • 🧠Everyone swarms the ball like bees to honey ('magnet ball') — this is completely normal, do not fight it.
  • 🧠They are concrete thinkers: 'pass to space' means nothing, 'kick it to the cone with the dragon on it' works.
  • 🧠Huge imaginations — themes (animals, superheroes, space) get more buy-in than any tactic.
  • 🧠They tire and re-energize in waves and need water breaks and wiggle room.

What we develop

  • 1Comfort and joy with the ball at their feet
  • 2Lots of dribbling, running with the ball, changing direction
  • 3Basic coordination: running, jumping, hopping, balance (ABCs — agility, balance, coordination)
  • 4Stopping the ball, starting again, simple turns
  • 5Sharing the field, taking turns, listening for a whistle/word

Game format

3v3 or 4v4, NO goalkeepers, small field, small goals. Short games, frequent restarts. No offside, no throw-ins fuss — keep it flowing.

A recommended session

About 50 minutes, start to finish. Adjust to your time and group size.

  1. 5m

    Arrival / Free Play

    Every kid a ball the moment they arrive — free dribbling, no waiting.

  2. 8m

    Warm-Up

    A themed dribbling game (animals, traffic lights, sharks).

  3. 10m

    Technical

    One simple ball-mastery move turned into a game.

  4. 10m

    Skill Game

    A tag/chase game built around dribbling or stopping the ball.

  5. 12m

    Small-Sided Game

    3v3 / 4v4 free play — let them play, cheer, barely coach.

  6. 5m

    Cool-Down / Talk

    Quick water, one happy highlight each, high-fives.

Build a session like this →

Skills to develop

Close-Control Dribbling

Dribbling

Running with the ball using small touches so it stays close, like it's on a string.

Coaching points

  • •Use the laces and inside/outside of the foot, not the toe.
  • •Lots of little touches — keep the ball within one step.
  • •Head up to 'find the cheese' (look where you're going), eyes down to find the ball.
  • •Push the ball into space ahead when there's room to run.

Progression

Dribble to a target and stop the ball dead. → Add gates/cones to weave through. → Add a gentle chaser to create pressure.

Stopping & Starting (Sole Stop)

Ball Mastery

Putting the foot on top of the ball to stop it, then exploding away again.

Coaching points

  • •Soft foot on top of the ball — 'squash the bug', don't stamp.
  • •Freeze completely on the stop signal.
  • •Push and go on the start signal — first touch is a big one into space.

Progression

Red light / green light with colors and speeds. → Stop with different body parts (sole, inside, sit on it!). → Stop, turn, and go the other way.

First Dribbling Moves

Dribbling

Simple beat-a-defender moves: the foundation of 1v1 confidence.

Coaching points

  • •Start with 1–2 moves only (e.g. the 'scissor' and the 'foundation/toe-taps').
  • •Sell it — exaggerate the fake so the defender believes it.
  • •Change pace right after the move: slow-slow-FAST.

Progression

Move at a cone, then at a passive defender, then a live one. → Add a second move if the first doesn't work. → Use it in a 1v1 to a small goal.

Drills & games

Tap any drill to see the full breakdown.

Traffic Lights

Warm-Up

8 min · Whole group, a ball each · Ball Mastery

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123
Free dribbling grid — every player a ballConeAttackerBallDribble (with ball)

Set up

Players spread out in a box, each dribbling their own ball.

How it works

Coach calls colors: GREEN = dribble fast, YELLOW = dribble slow, RED = sole-stop and freeze. Add fun calls like 'reverse!' (turn around) or 'speed bump!' (do a toe-tap).

Coaching points

  • •Small touches on green, ball close.
  • •Soft foot on top to stop dead on red.
  • •Heads up to avoid bumping into friends.

Make it harder

  • •Add new colors/commands kids invent.
  • •Shrink the area so they must control the ball in tight space.
  • •Last one to stop on red does a silly dance (keep it light).
Why kids love it: Kids love being in charge of cars and the silly bonus commands.

Equipment: 1 ball per player, open space

Sharks & Minnows

Skill Game

10 min · Whole group + 1–2 'sharks' · Dribbling

▾
123DSafe line
Dribble safely across past the defender(s)AttackerBallDefenderDribble (with ball)

Set up

Minnows line up on one side each with a ball. 1–2 sharks (start with coach) in the middle with no ball.

How it works

Minnows dribble from one safe line to the other without the shark kicking their ball out. If your ball is knocked out you become a shark too (but you keep moving — no sitting out).

Coaching points

  • •Protect the ball — keep it on the far side from the shark.
  • •Change speed and direction to escape.
  • •Use a move to beat the shark.

Make it harder

  • •Add more sharks as rounds go.
  • •Sharks can use a ball too (must dribble theirs).
  • •Add a 'lily pad' safe zone in the middle.
Why kids love it: The chase. Becoming a shark feels like leveling up, not losing.

Equipment: 1 ball per minnow, cones for two safe lines

Animal Safari Dribble

Technical

10 min · Whole group, a ball each · Dribbling

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123
Free dribbling grid — every player a ballConeAttackerBallDribble (with ball)

Set up

Players dribble freely around a grid.

How it works

Coach calls an animal; players dribble that way: 'elephant' = big slow stomps, 'mouse' = tiny fast touches, 'crab' = sideways with outside foot, 'kangaroo' = stop and do a little hop on the ball.

Coaching points

  • •Tiny touches for the mouse (close control).
  • •Use different surfaces of the foot for different animals.
  • •Keep the ball close no matter the animal.

Make it harder

  • •Kids suggest animals and the matching move.
  • •Two animals in a row (a combo).
  • •Add a sole-stop 'freeze' when the lion roars.
Why kids love it: Pure imagination — they don't realize they're doing ball mastery.

Equipment: 1 ball per player, few cones as 'zones'

4-Goal Free Play

Small-Sided Game

12 min · 3v3 or 4v4 · Tactical

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1212
Small-sided game — attack either of your two goalsAttackerBallDefenderPassDribble (with ball)Shot

Set up

A small field with TWO small goals to attack for each team (placed wide). No keepers.

How it works

Normal play but each team can score in either of their two goals. Having two goals naturally spreads the swarm and rewards looking up and switching direction.

Coaching points

  • •Look up — which goal is open?
  • •Dribble toward space, not into the crowd.
  • •Celebrate every goal and every good try.

Make it harder

  • •Move goals to change the spaces.
  • •One-touch finish to score.
  • •Add a 'pass before you score' rule for older kids.
Why kids love it: Lots of goals = lots of joy, and the swarm breaks up on its own.

Equipment: pinnies, 4 small goals or cone gates

Ready-made programs

First Touches — a 6-Week Intro

6 weeks

A gentle on-ramp for 4–7s. Every week is a themed party built around one simple idea, tons of touches, and a small-sided game to finish. Goal: they leave smiling and ask to come back.

Week 1: Meet the Ball

Get comfortable with a ball at their feet.

🏠 Dribble around the living room without touching the furniture.

Week 2: Stop & Go

Start, stop, and freeze the ball on command.

🏠 Play red-light/green-light with a parent.

Week 3: Run with the Ball

Dribble with speed while keeping the ball close.

🏠 Race the ball to the mailbox and back.

Week 4: Escape!

Change direction to get away from a chaser.

🏠 Have a parent gently chase you in the yard while you dribble.

Week 5: My First Move

Try a simple fake to beat someone.

🏠 Invent a silly move and name it after yourself.

Week 6: Game Day Party

Put it all together and just play.

🏠 Teach a family member one thing you learned.