Roundabout Relay (Soccer)

A twist on a classic relay, children develop fast paced dribbling skills - requires multiple participants and a large playing space (a park or large yard).
Set out a starting marker. This is where participants will line up. Starting from here, set out a track with markers (water bottles, stacks of books, shoes etc) to indicate a gate. Follow the track around, setting out multiple gates, and looping back to the starting marker. You can use pre-existing lines on a court to help guide your track. Children line up each with their own soccer ball or if short on equipment, just give the first child in line a ball - returning children can pass their ball to the next child in line.
Step 1:
- When you say, "Go", the first participant in line begins dribbling around the track, passing through the gates on the way
Step 2:
- Once the child has been around the whole track, they high 5 the next person in line, who then begins dribbling around the track
Step 3:
- Continue until all children have had a turn
- Count how many gates you each pass through and total up your points!
- Or, see how many times the team can get around in, for example, 3 minutes
- When a child is halfway through the track, the next child can go (requires multiple balls)
- Make the track shorter
- You can have children dribble around the cones at the gate instead of just moving through it
- Children can try dribbling on the run
- Make the track longer
When teaching soccer dribbling, first demonstrate the following teaching cues before handing out soccer balls;
- Keep the ball close like it is attached with a short bit of string to your foot
- Small, soft taps of the ball
- Use all parts of your foot
- Look up
- Use both feet
Then let the children have a practice before starting the game.
- Adults/older siblings join in too!
- Let the children design a new track after the first round