Ages 4-8: Creating fun and effective warm-ups

In this edition of FIFA’s Grassroots Coaching Essentials series, Dr Jené Baclawski explains how to make warm-up practices both fun and effective. She shares three key tips for getting the most out of warm-ups: the importance of making them engaging, using the time effectively to develop skills, and always ensuring players have fun. To illustrate these principles, she presents three practical examples tailored for players aged 4 to 8.

Below, you’ll find an in-depth video presentation where Jené explains the key tips in detail and highlights their application. Following the video, we provide a written summary of these tips, accompanied by diagrams that break down each sample activity. Enjoy!

To set the tone for a positive session, warm-ups should be dynamic and enjoyable, while keeping all players active and involved. Here’s how to make warm-ups engaging:

• Keep kids active: Choose fast-paced games that minimise idle time and immediately capture players’ attentions, like tag or simple ball-related activities.
• Encourage creativity: Let children take ownership of the game by making choices or adding their own ideas, helping them develop problem-solving skills and boosting creativity.
• Adapt to players’ needs: Adjust the difficulty of activities to suit each player’s ability, ensuring everyone feels successful and motivated to keep learning.

Warm-ups are not just for physical preparation, but they are also an excellent opportunity to introduce core skills in an engaging way. Here’s how to make warm-ups effective for skill development:

• Enhance motor skills: Include activities that involve coordination and change-of-direction to improve players’ physical development and agility.
• Get kids thinking: Use warm-ups that challenge players to think quickly and make decisions, building focus and reaction time.
• Build confidence: Coaches should ensure that each warm-up activity is designed to give players as many touches as possible which helps to develop their confidence with the ball at their feet.

Making warm-ups enjoyable is essential for keeping young players engaged and fostering a love for the game. In this section, Jené explains how to build a fun and positive atmosphere:

• Foster teamwork: Include activities that encourage communication and cooperation, helping players build friendships and a sense of camaraderie.
• Add competition: Introduce competitive elements like relay races to keep players motivated and excited, while promoting a positive and energetic session.
• Progress activities: Keep warm-ups fresh by adding new challenges to prevent monotony and maintain enthusiasm.

Following the key points raised by Jené in this presentation, coaches will hopefully have a better understanding of why fun and effective warm-ups are so important for young players. Here is a summary of her observations:

• Coordinative development: Encouraging children to partake in fast-paced games supports the development of key motor skills, including agility and speed.
• Boosting cognitive skills: Engaging warm-up exercises that require quick thinking and fast reactions play a crucial role in sharpening players’ decision-making skills on the pitch.
• Promoting team building: Participating in team-based activities helps cultivate a positive and supportive environment which allows friendships within the group to form, strengthen, and flourish over time.
• Fostering a positive environment: Creating a welcoming and positive atmosphere is key to maintaining the interest and involvement of this age group throughout the session.