Your child comes home from training buzzing. They want to show you a new skill, they want to go to the park, they want a ball at their feet. Brilliant. That self-driven practice — the stuff they choose to do because they enjoy it — is where real development happens.
But what should they actually be doing? And what should you leave to their coach?
The line between helpful home practice and accidentally undoing what the coach is building isn't always obvious. Here's a practical guide.
What's worth practising at home
Ball mastery. This is the single most valuable thing a child can do at home, at any age. Toe taps, sole rolls, inside-outside touches, pull-backs, Cruyff turns — all done standing in one spot or moving slowly through a small space.
Why? Because every touch of the ball builds neural pathways. The more comfortable your child is with the ball at their feet, the more confident they'll be under pressure. Ball mastery doesn't need a big garden, a goal, or another player. Just a ball and a few square metres of space.
For U7-U8s, five minutes of messing about with the ball is plenty. For U10+, 10-15 minutes of focused practice makes a genuine difference over weeks and months.
Passing against a wall. If you have a wall and a ball, you have a passing drill. Right foot, left foot, first touch, two touch. Vary the distance. Try different surfaces of the foot. This is repetitive, slightly boring, and incredibly effective.
The kids who become good passers aren't the ones with natural talent — they're the ones who hit a ball against a wall a thousand times.
Weak foot. Whatever your child does with their strong foot, ask them to try it with their weak foot. Most children will resist because it feels awkward. But even 20 weak-foot passes against a wall per session adds up fast over a season.
Juggling. Controversial, because it doesn't directly translate to match play. But juggling builds touch, coordination, and concentration. It's also something a child can do alone, measure their own progress, and feel good about improving. A child who can juggle 50 times has spent hours with a ball at their feet. That time shows in their control.
1v1 in the garden. If you're willing to be the defender, this is gold. Small space, one goal (a wall, a bin, two jumpers). Your child has to dribble past you. They learn close control, change of direction, and how to beat someone in a tight area. Don't let them win every time — but don't make it impossible either.
What to leave to the coach
Tactical concepts. Don't try to explain formations, positioning, or tactical movements at home. Not because you're wrong, but because the coach has a plan for introducing these ideas at the right time, in the right context. If your child hears one thing from you and another from the coach, they get confused and default to neither.
Match analysis. Resist the urge to watch their match back and point out what they should have done. At grassroots level, post-match analysis from a parent creates anxiety, not improvement. If the coach wants to review something, they'll do it in training.
Physical conditioning. Don't put your child on a running programme, a strength routine, or any kind of structured fitness plan. At U7-U12, physical development happens naturally through playing. Their bodies aren't ready for structured conditioning, and doing it wrong risks injury and burnout. If they're running around in the garden, playing with friends, and staying generally active, they're getting enough.
Correction of technique. Unless you're a qualified coach, leave technical correction to training. It's tempting to say "no, you need to plant your foot here" — but coaching technique is nuanced. What looks wrong to you might be the coach's deliberate progression. Let training be training.
How to keep it fun
The moment home practice feels like homework, it stops working. Your child should want to practise, not feel obligated to.
Make it a game. "Can you beat your juggling record?" is better than "do 50 juggles." "Can you score past me from there?" is better than "practise shooting." Add challenges, competitions, and silly rules. "Left foot only, and if you miss, I get a point."
Keep it short. Fifteen minutes of engaged, enjoyable practice is worth more than an hour of going through the motions. If they're done after ten minutes, let them be done.
Join in. Kick the ball with them. Be the goalkeeper. Try to nutmeg them. Your involvement signals that football is something to enjoy together, not a task to complete.
Follow their lead. If they want to practise shooting, practise shooting — even if you think they should work on passing. Autonomy drives motivation. The skills will balance out over time.
The consistency effect
Home practice doesn't need to be long, structured, or sophisticated. What matters is frequency. A child who spends 10 minutes with a ball three or four times a week — on top of team training — will develop noticeably faster than one who only touches a ball at sessions.
Over a season, that's hundreds of extra touches. Over two seasons, it's thousands. The compound effect is real.
If your club tracks development through something like InsideFooty, you'll likely see the difference in their technical scores over time. The child who practises regularly at home shows steady improvement in ball control, passing accuracy, and confidence on the ball. The data backs up what coaches have always known: the kids who play at home improve fastest.
One last thing
The best home practice isn't a structured programme. It's a child in a garden with a ball, making up games, trying tricks they saw on YouTube, pretending they've just scored in the Champions League final.
That love of the ball — that intrinsic motivation — is the engine of development. Your job is to protect it, not manage it. Give them the space, the time, and the encouragement. Then get out of the way.