Do you want to know the ultimate secret coaches use to get their own kids passionate about soccer? 

Recently I spoke with my friend and colleague who has a one-year-old son.  I asked him a question for which I already knew the answer but probed him just the same.  “What were the first three or four words your son ever said?”  His reply didn’t surprise me.  It was “Dada,” “Mama” and you guessed it…….”Ball.”

Coaches are, of course, passionate about the game and often want to share that passion with their children. But how do you do just that without overwhelming your kids or adding undue pressure? Well, for the little ones, that’s easy—make it like play and introduce them to the most important object on the field, court, pitch or arena. Give them a ball.

A child’s first ball is not only a magical, fun moment but can be an essential early education tool—it helps teach kids sensorimotor skills.

Up to age 2, children learn through their senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.  They also start to build muscle strength, balance, coordination, rhythm, timing and fine motor skills. Basically, they explore their world in a natural way through activities using their senses at play.

Just by using a ball, it can provide all these sensations as well as get them engaged in play.  This is why we buy them toys with bright colors, different textures, play music and even move. They begin to understand different shapes, sounds and smells. Giving your child, say, a soccer ball is both the ultimate toy and easy early-childhood education tool because it makes learning and physical activity fun. 

To explore playing with the senses, consider the following:

• Balls can come in different colors and even light up
• Balls are round and come in different sizes
• Balls come in different textures- smooth, grooved, bumpy, soft, furry, squishy, hard, light, and heavy
• There are balls that can make sounds and play music
• Ball materials can vary like rubber, wood, plastic, metal and leather
• Balls crafted with different materials have different smells

Motor skills for engaging them in activity

• They can run/walk with a ball. It makes them move.
• Bounce a ball testing its properties out.
• Throw a ball to see how strong they are.
• Catch a ball improving eye-hand coordination
• It’s fun. It makes them move because they are curious and it engages them with lots of opportunities to grow and learn.

Simply put, balls are not just engaging but can also be used to teach lots of different sensorimotor skills they can use in sports and in life. So, go out there and fuel their passion, curiosity and play.  Introduce them to the game, speed up the learning process and let them have a ball of their own.