With Scotland back in the World Cup after a 28-year wait, football is having a real moment in homes, schools and communities across the country. For many families, it’s a chance for children to get curious and join in with the excitement - whether that’s through watching a match, wearing a Scotland football strip or having a kick-about in the garden.
We recently had a chat with Rachel from Soccer Stars Academy Aberdeenshire to find out how football can help toddlers, preschoolers and young children build confidence, develop new skills and enjoy learning through play - all in a fun, age-appropriate and pressure-free way.
With the World Cup on, are you seeing more young children getting curious or excited about football?
"Yes! Especially with Scotland qualifying this year. It’s lovely seeing parents getting their children involved, and seeing little ones with their football strips on is just great. We’ve also noticed a few more enquiries coming through from parents asking to get their children along to classes."
How can parents use World Cup excitement at home in a fun, pressure-free way?
"The World Cup is a great opportunity to bring football into family life without making it feel too serious. Simple things like collecting sticker books, putting up Scottish bunting, colouring in flags or even having themed meals at home - like a “Mexican night” - can help children feel part of the excitement.
"It doesn’t always have to be about playing football. Sometimes it’s simply about enjoying the atmosphere together."
What do you enjoy most about introducing football to toddlers, preschoolers and young children?
"We love seeing the smiles on their faces, and interacting with children while building positive relationships with their parents.
"It’s also lovely seeing them develop friendships with others at class - I love to see them bonding. It's also really special when they build good relationships with the coaches, and you hear from parents that all they talked about was football and they can’t wait for next week.
"I love knowing we have a positive impact on children from such a young age."
"Our classes are designed to develop the whole child, which means developing physical, mental, emotional and social skills. We also use themes to develop imaginative play, and our lessons are structured in the same way for consistency and routine."
For younger children specifically, why is football such a helpful way to learn?
"There are so many things from football that can be beneficial to a younger child, such as developing resilience, social skills, teamwork and discipline.
"If you can get good foundations in place from a young age, children will naturally carry that into adulthood."
How can simple football games help with balance, coordination and gross motor skills?
"The types of activities we provide during class help with all of these.
"Our balance beam helps children improve their coordination and balance, and you see this the more they come along and try each week.
"Dribbling helps with spatial awareness, ball control and coordination. Kicking the ball into a goal, or hitting a cone, involves foot-eye coordination.
"These are just a few small examples of activities, but when they are repeated in different scenarios using our themes, children become more confident and can see how they are progressing."
"Families can set up little activities such as dribbling, goal scoring, target shots, cat and mouse, football skittles and keepy-uppy challenges.
For dribbling, set up obstacles. We would use cones, but if you don’t have these, any other objects are fine to use, such as water bottles or toys.
For goal scoring, we would use a set of goals, but if you don’t have these, you can use water bottles to mark out your goal so children know where to score. You could see who can get the most goals in a certain time.
For target shots, set items out randomly in the garden and allow your little one to kick the ball to hit the item, such as water bottles, buckets or toys. If you have cones at home, these are also great to use.
For cat and mouse, allow your little one to be the mouse and run with the ball with a bib tucked into the back of their trousers. The parent or carer is the cat and runs to catch the bib. Then it’s the little one’s turn to chase after the parent, who becomes the mouse.
For football skittles, set up six water bottles in a triangle. Let your little one kick the ball to hit the “skittles” and knock them down.
For older ones, you can add in keepy-uppy challenges and see who can do the most."
"This actually makes me emotional because I’ve had lots of children who have started with me from Twinkle Stars age, progressed to Shooting Stars level and then gone off into a team.
"One particular little boy was super, super shy and it took him a few weeks to take part in any activities. He wouldn’t leave mum’s side. Mum persevered and, with excellent coaching, he made great progress each week.
"He was with Soccer Stars for three years and then went off to a football team. His mum thanked us, as she felt he’d come on leaps and bounds and developed so much confidence with us.
"I love to see them thriving."
What would you say to a family thinking, “Maybe we’ll wait until they’re older”?
"Don’t wait! The earlier you can attend, the better. It isn’t about being the best footballer or scoring the most goals at a young age. It’s about allowing children to engage, explore and learn in a fun way.
"We’ve had children as young as 14 months attend our youngest classes because mums have really wanted to get them started, and they do really well.
"The class includes parent participation, so it does wonders for little ones’ development."
