Had we been returning to school this week, we would have been learning about Brazil, the largest country on the continent of South America, the fifth largest country (in area) in the world, and the sixth most populous.. Brazil is home to three amazing wonders of the world. The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Christ the Redeemer Statue, which overlooks the harbor, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and the Amazon Rain Forest, which passes through part of Brazil, is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature of the World.
Soccer is the national sport of Brazil and the country takes much pride in their national team. I thought it might be fun for my students to work on some soccer dribbling while at home. At this level, in PE, I emphasize dribbling with the insides of the feet. We call them our "kissing feet" because when we tap our feet together they touch right where we should be contacting the ball. Students also work on alternating feet as much as possible with each tap. Lastly, I try to encourage children to dribble at a speed that lets them maintain control of the ball. Short taps, under control, is our main goal. I don't encourage children kicking far and chasing after the ball.
Below is a game you can try at home. Remember, you do not have to have a soccer ball to work on soccer skills. Any ball, of any size, will still allow students to work on the correct action. If you are inside, or do not have a ball available, crumple up a piece of paper and wrap it with tape, use a rolled up sock, try a beanbag, find a beanie baby or small, soft, toy, or even try tapping a balloon. Let your child be creative and figure out what he/she can use for soccer dribbling.
Activity: Trick or Treat
1. Set up a playing area and try to mark it off using something in the four corners to show boundaries. Please be mindful that if you are using a front yard area, supervision will be needed, as balls often roll in to the street.
2. Place 4 or more items that are stackable on the two end lines - like small orange pylons or plastic stadium cups. (By the way, the small orange pylons are available at Dollar Stores and will come in handy for our activities the rest of the school year.)
3. This activity can be done with just one person or more (if you want to make it more competitive). The more people playing, the more items you will need on the end lines.
4. Have each person start at one end line, dribble to the opposite side, pick up a cup, dribble back to the other end line, pick up another cup, and keep dribbling back and forth until all the cups are gone. Count cups to see how many have been accumulated by each person. Set them back up and try again.
HAVE FUN!!
Remember, it doesn't take a soccer ball to work on soccer skills.
