PARENT TIPS & FAQ
Parent Tips
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1- Create a Safe Environment
Children learn best when they are in a safe protected environment where they are allowed to fail without ridicule. When playing indoors, ensure safety first in an area they won’t fall over and injure themselves. When playing on a wooden or linoleum surface we recommend no socks so they don’t slip and fall into something. This program can also be done outdoors in a relatively small space, once again free from obstacles. When playing outdoors, flat surfaces are best for balance, and flat shoes are helpful to avoid painful stepping on rocks or sticks.
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2- Emphasize Ball Mastery, not Ball Kicking
The Soccer Starts at Home® program helps children learn how to control and manipulate a soccer ball using their feet. The exercises shown in the program are all ones that involve keeping the ball at their feet under close control. Kicking the ball away is not a key part of this program. Learning to properly kick the ball will come at a later time. So, make sure you are emphasizing Keeping the Ball, and not Kicking it Away. Remember, we are working on Ball Mastery, which is not kicking, so that avoids any painful stubbed toes from kicking the ball.
3- Use the right size ball
Small children have small feet, and therefore they need a small ball. It is vital for a player’s development and using the wrong size ball can be pretty frustrating and actually dangerous, especially if you’re just learning how to play. There are essentially 5 soccer ball sizes:
ï‚· Soccer Ball Size 5 used for adults and professionals
ï‚· Soccer Ball Size 4 for ages 8-12 years old
ï‚· Soccer Ball Size 3 for kids 5-8 years old
ï‚· Soccer Ball Size 2 for ages years 3-5
ï‚· Soccer Ball Size 1 for 3 years and under
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4- Engage with your child 20 minutes per day
The most important part of a child’s early development are the parents. The interaction between you and your child is paramount, because of a child’s need and desire for parental approval and praise. This is what sets up the child for deep learning and long term memory. Uploading these skills to their brain in an emotionally charged environment with a parent is key. Have fun with it! Maybe even play music while they are doing their skills. Create fun games and challenges. For example, see if your child can do a skill for 30 seconds straight without any mistakes! Once they meet that target, set another one!
5- Provide positive encouragement
Celebrate by praising your child’s effort as much as his/her ability to learn new things. Children learn at different speeds so you need to be patient. Get them to show you what they have learned and give positive reinforcement. Remember, you are their very first coach, not only in soccer but in life! Giving a great effort is always the first goal, and it should always be rewarded!
6- Document progress, and share your journey
Take video of your child practicing with the ball so they can see their own improvement. Not only will those be fun family memories, but as you continue to document their progress, you’ll be amazed at how quickly they pick up some new skills! We love to get videos of your child showing off their skills. On many of our videos, you can hear the parents positive comments and you can see the children constantly looking to their parents for their approval. Once they master a number of the skills, they can start ‘Freestyling’, which is a combination of all of the ball mastery skills done. It is almost like dancing with the ball!
