I don’t know if it’s only me but every time we get ourselves a soccer ball, we play the sport and get tired of playing the same game over and over again and let it catch dust. Honestly, it doesn’t have to be that way, soccer balls can be used in so many clever ways for keeping your kids busy, other than playing soccer with them.
Well, now we decided to change that. Today, we’ll show you some unique ways to use that soccer ball to play some unique games so you and your friends never run out of ideas. Let’s begin!
1. Gaga Ball!
This is a game that we used to play a lot in childhood, and now we’ll walk you through it. So, what is a gaga ball and how do you play? Gaga ball is a fast-paced game that requires a ball and a pit, and the way to play it is down below.
Gaga ball is similar to playing volleyball or the pinball game. People in the pit, circle around the referee, and they shoot the ball upwards. The ball must bounce three times before any player can touch it, and the players shout “ga” each time it bounces.
If you’re willing to catch the ball, you need to be mindful that you can only block or dribble the ball for 3 seconds only. While you are at it, be careful that the ball does not touch any parts of your body. So for it to be fair play, pass it to another player or the wall.
The last person to have touched the ball is out and out of the pit too but they can try catching the free ball, if succeeded, they can join back in the pit.
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2. Sharks and Minnows
Okay, so the game begins with the shark (player 1) in the middle of the field without a ball and the rest of the people that are minnows will start on one of the ends. In this game, the rule is that a ball will be given to each minnow, and the objective is to reach the other end safely. The sharks will try to take the ball away, so remember to guard it.
If the shark can kick the ball out then the minnow who had that ball is now a shark. And this will continue until you have one minnow left.
One thing to know is that the shark doesn’t need to control or gatekeep the ball, they just need to kick it out of the field.
You can step it up by keeping more than one shark or telling the minnows to dribble only with a certain foot left or right. Alter it here and there and see what makes it more fun.
3. Monkey in the Middle
The whole objective of the game is to keep the ball away from the monkeys in the middle. If a monkey can control the ball, the monkey switches places with the player who touched the ball before them.
This player remains in the middle of the circle until he controls the ball. It’s important to note that the monkey needs ball control and can’t simply poke it away.
To mix things up, there are a couple of different things you can do. First off, you can increase the size of the circle, which will make it more difficult for the monkeys to get the ball.
You can also reduce the size of the circle, which will make players have to quickly pass the ball around to prevent it from being taken away. This game can be played with one monkey or multiple monkeys at a time.
4. Red Light! Green Light!
For red light/green light, someone is in charge of dictating the pace while the kids take their positions on the starting line. That starting point is the place where you need to reach to win.
Once every kid is lined up on the starting line with their ball, the coach/parent/kid will yell “green light!” which indicates for kids to dribble to make it to the other side.
They will continue to dribble until “red light!” is yelled out. Once this is yelled out, each kid must remain still.
If someone continues to move after the red light is said, they have to go back to the starting line again to make it. The game ends when someone is tagged and they become the next prey.
5. Simon Says
With Simon Says, you want to go with a 20 x 25 yards or 25 x 30 yards grid or a playing area similar in size. As you play the game, you’ll get a better idea of the amount of space you need to play with your team.
To begin with, each player will want to grab a ball and line up on one of the sides. It also needs someone to call out commands for the players to listen to.
If players mess up and don’t listen or don’t perform the right action they’re out until the next game begins.
Players should make sure they only follow commands that begin with “Simon Says!”. Anything said that doesn’t start with Simon’s says is something they shouldn’t follow.
So if you’re running Simon says and you want players to stop, you would say “Simon Says stop!”. If you want players to switch balls with another player, you would say “Simon Says switch balls with another player!”
If players don’t follow either of these commands or they do something different than what was said, they’re out and have to wait until the game concludes.
If you say “stop the ball!” and the players stop they’re now out because you didn’t say Simon Says first. This also applies to “pass the ball to a nearby player!”, “touch the ball with your left foot!” or anything else you can come up with.
6. The Hula Hoop Game
The object of the game is for the player to catch the ball in the middle and return it to their round. Players can only take home one ball at a time, but they can also take the ball out of another player’s ring. After all the balls are removed from the center and returned to one of the rounds, the game is over.
The player with the most soccer balls in their round at the end of the game is the winner. You can specify when to end the game in a variety of ways. One way is to limit play time and allow players to take each other’s balls until time runs out.
Another way is to ask the player to collect a specific number of balls to win. You may want young players not to steal the ball until they have fully grasped the objective of the game.
7. Musical Chairs
Musical chairs is a classic game played by people of all ages and also shown in various movies and documentaries, so it’ll just be a soccer ball remix of it.
If one of your players has never seen or played a musical chair before, enlighten them about it first. Instead of chairs, we will use balls for this game. You can play this game with any number of players. Before the game starts, each player must bring a ball and place it in the center of the center circle.
Once the balls are in the center, you want your players to go around the outside of the center circle while you play the music. The player will keep walking around the circle until the music stops. When the music stops, the player rushes to the center and grabs a ball as fast as he can.
Players who fail to catch one of the balls are disqualified for the duration of the game. After each player has been eliminated, a ball must be removed from play. You will then continue this process until there is only one player left which is the winner.
8. Soccer Tennis
To play tennis or soccer, one player stands on one side of the court and another on the opposite side. Then, like in tennis, one player serves over the net. Players can serve the ball with their hands, but then they can only use their feet, thighs, chest, and head (as in football).
After serving, the player on the other side of the net must return the ball after one bounce (or 2 returns for a beginner player). If the ball bounces more than once, or if a player shoots the ball into the net or is out of bounds, the other player counts. You can play “set” and “match” like in tennis or just play with 10 points to determine the winner.
Conclusion
Here you have it, all the fun games you can play with a soccer ball. You might know about interesting facts about soccer but who knew a soccer ball can be used way more than the sport itself? Well, now you know. Let us know some of the ways you play it. That’s all for today, thank you for reading!
