U6 Soccer Practice Plan: A Free 45-Minute Session for Ages 4–5
By the CleatPal team · Updated · How we check facts
Short answer: a good U6 soccer practice lasts about 45 minutes and is almost all play. Kids play as they arrive, then a story-based warm-up game, two 10-minute skill games with a water break between them, and a 12-minute mini-match. Every child has a size-3 ball, and you explain each game in three sentences or less. The free session below is built for 4- and 5-year-olds and needs no coaching background.
Key takeaways
- Plan for 45 minutes. Four- and five-year-olds listen for about a minute at a time.
- Use one size-3 ball per child. Nike's size chart puts size 3 at ages under 8.
- Local U6 games are small. Frisco and Richardson rec play 4v4 with no goalkeepers.
- Turn every activity into a story: cars, pirates, animals. The story does the coaching.
- Bunching around the ball is normal at this age. Don't try to coach it out.
What does a good U6 practice look like?
At U6, kids play next to each other more than with each other. They all chase the ball in one happy cluster. Passing is rare. That's all normal.
So the goal isn't positions or tactics. It's "my ball, my feet." Kids should dribble, stop the ball, kick it and laugh a lot.
A strong practice uses Play–Practice–Play, the approach U.S. Soccer teaches in its free grassroots coaching module. Kids learn by playing, and the coach supports them along the way:
- Play with a ball the moment they arrive.
- Practice one skill through two games.
- Play a small match to finish.
No laps, no lines and no lectures. If kids leave sweaty, giggling and wanting more, it was a great practice.
What game format do U6 teams play in DFW?
U.S. Soccer's game format chart caps U7–U8 games at 4v4 and says smaller formats are fine at any age. It doesn't list U6. So check your own association. Here is what two DFW rec associations publish:
| Rule | Frisco Soccer Association (U6) | Richardson Soccer Association (U4–U7) |
|---|---|---|
| Players per side | 4 | 4 |
| Goalkeepers | No | No |
| Ball size | 3 | 3 |
| Game length | Four 10-minute quarters | Four 8-minute quarters |
| Field size | Not listed | 20 x 30 yards |
| Score | Kept, but not official | Not stated |
| Heading | Not listed | Not allowed |
Your league's rules may differ, so ask your coordinator before game one. Find your local association on Frisco Soccer Association's page, Richardson Soccer Association's page or our DFW program directory.
What equipment do you need?
- One size-3 ball per child (ask parents to label theirs)
- About 20 disc cones and six tall cones
- Pinnies in two colors
- Two to four small goals, or tall cones as goals
- Water, a first aid kit and your roster with parent phone numbers
Don't measure the field. "Yards" means big adult steps. A rough square works fine.
The 45-minute U6 practice plan at a glance
Theme: meet the ball. By the end, every child knows the field, a few names and how to stop the ball with a foot on top.
| Time | Block | Game |
|---|---|---|
| While kids arrive | Arrival play | One ball each: "Show me a trick!" |
| 0–8 min | Warm-up | Coach Says |
| 8–18 min | Activity 1 | Gas Station |
| 18–20 min | Water break | Every child drinks |
| 20–30 min | Activity 2 | Traffic Lights |
| 30–42 min | Scrimmage | 2v2 Mini Matches |
| 42–45 min | Huddle | High fives and a team cheer |
Times are a guide. If a game is going great, let it run.
How do you run each part of the practice?
Warm-up: Coach Says (8 min)
Setup: a 15 x 15 yard square with a cone at each corner. One ball per child.
How to play: call out body parts. "Coach says touch the ball with your elbow… your knee… your foot!" End each round with "Coach says dribble to a cone and back!" If you skip "Coach says," nobody is out. Everyone laughs and keeps going.
Coaching points: "Touch it with your feet." "Little touches." "Find some space."
Easier: body-part touches only. Harder: add "left foot only" and "bottom of your foot."
Activity 1: Gas Station (10 min)
Setup: a 15 x 20 yard "town" with four small 2 x 2 yard cone squares in the corners. Those are gas stations. One ball per child.
How to play: every child is a car dribbling around town, and engine noises are encouraged. Call "Low on gas!" Cars dribble to any station, stop the ball inside with a foot on top and shout "Fill up!" Then they drive back out.
Coaching points: "Gentle taps, slow car." "Brake with your foot on top." "Watch for other cars."
Easier: more stations, and bigger ones. Harder: "Only the red station is open!" so everyone has to turn and find it.
Activity 2: Traffic Lights (10 min)
Setup: the same town. One ball per child.
How to play: green means dribble, yellow means tiny slow touches and red means foot on top. Then add "Bumpy road!" (hop over the ball) and "Reverse!" (pull the ball back with the sole).
Coaching points: "Keep it close." "Foot on top to stop." "Heads up."
Easier: green and red only. Harder: let kids take turns being the traffic light.
Scrimmage: 2v2 Mini Matches (12 min)
Setup: two or three small fields, about 12 x 18 yards, with cone goals 3 yards wide. Teams of two. Put a parent helper on each field.
How to play: three-minute games, then switch opponents. Kick off from the middle. When the ball goes out, roll a new one in. No throw-ins needed.
Coaching points: "Which goal is ours?" "Dribble toward their goal." "Big cheer for every goal, both teams."
Easier: bigger goals. Harder: 3v3 on one field.
Huddle (3 min)
Ask: "High five if you stopped the ball like a race car!" Then finish with a team cheer, like "1-2-3, FUN!"
How is coaching U6 different from U8?
| U6 (ages 4–5) | U8 (ages 6–7) | |
|---|---|---|
| Practice length | About 45 minutes | About 60 minutes |
| Explaining a game | Three sentences, show it once | About 30 seconds |
| Scrimmage | 2v2 or 3v3 mini matches | 4v4 small goals |
| How games are framed | A story (cars, pirates, animals) | A challenge or score to beat |
| Parent helpers | One in every activity | Two per practice |
Coaching older kids too? Our free U8 soccer practice plan is a full 60-minute session.
What if the practice isn't working?
Change one thing before you drop the game:
- The space. More room makes dribbling easier.
- The story. "The cars are now race cars!" gives a tired game new life.
- The rules. Add a challenge, like left foot only, or take one away.
If a child wanders off or sits down, that's normal at 4. Invite them back with a job: "Can you be the traffic light?" Never force it.
How do you keep a U6 practice safe?
- Water at every break, for every child. In Texas heat, Cook Children's advises shade, frequent water breaks, lighter clothing and avoiding roughly 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. when possible.
- Lightning: clear the field at the first thunder. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning before playing again.
- Head bumps: take the child out for the day and tell the parent. Follow your league's concussion policy.
- No heading. Richardson Soccer Association's U4–U7 rules bar it, and this session has none.
- Shin guards on, goals anchored, and never leave a child alone at the field after practice.
Next step: get the whole season planned
This practice is Week 1 of the U6 plan in our Volunteer Coach Season Kit ($29). Weeks 2–10 build from dribbling to stopping and turning, beating a player, shielding and shooting, and end with a festival week families can join. The kit also includes U8, U10 and U12 seasons, a 50-game library, a first-practice checklist and Texas heat and lightning basics.
No coaching license needed. Get the Season Kit – $29
New to coaching? Start with our first-season guide for volunteer rec coaches.
Sources
- U.S. Soccer: game formats by age group
- U.S. Soccer: five things to know about the grassroots pathway (Play–Practice–Play)
- Frisco Soccer Association: recreational playing format
- Richardson Soccer Association: small-sided rules for U4–U8 (PDF)
- Nike: soccer ball size chart
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): lightning and sports safety
- Cook Children's: preventing heat illness in youth sports
