Grant is playing soccer!

My friend BreAnn told me that she was interested in signing her daughter up for Kidz Love Soccer which is a parent participation program for kids Grant's age.  It was going to be challenge with Andrew's baseball schedule and Claire's soccer schedule.  However, I knew that Grant would love having something to call his own.  Plus he loves playing soccer in the backyard.  So, we signed him up for the class with his friend Julia.  The class is for half an hour every Saturday. As you can tell here, he was a little nervous on the first day.  At the beginning of class, the coach blows the whistle and the kids line up on the orange circle.

 

 

The idea is for the kids to learn to play soccer while playing other games.  At the beginning of practice they play a game with colors involving the ball.  For example, they have to dribble the ball to the blue flag. 

 

She was demonstrating what to do at each flag.  The idea is that when they hold the cards and work on dribbling the ball, they won't want to use their hands to move the ball.  I was surprised to see how the kids first thought is to try to steer the ball with their hands rather than their feet.

 

She also taught them the soccer stance.  When they are on the orange line with the ball they are supposed to stand like this.

 

 

 

Off to try out the new skills!

 

Oops, the no hands rule isn't going over very well.

 

 

Here are Grant and Julia during their favorite part of practice -water break.

 

The next practice Danny got to the be the helper parent so I could take some pictures.  It was hot this day and Grant didn't really want to run around.  They are headed towards one of the flags.

 

I love these two pictures because they are so Grant.  Danny is trying to tell him to put the ball down and kick it with his feet rather than carry it around with his hands.

 

Then in the next frame Danny has given up and Grant has won.  There will be no dribbling of the ball today.  He was going to carry it back to the orange circle no matter what.

 

He finally got into things when they used the ball to knock over cones.  The games they use to teach the kids are really great.  They do colors and shapes with the games so that kids this age can really understand.

 

A big kick to knock over the cone!

 

At the end of every practice, they get to kick goals.  Here are Grant and Julia kicking the ball in.

 

A break away shot from Grant...

 

...with a big kick to score a goal!

 

Except when it has been hot, Grant really likes his class.  He asks all week if it is time for his class yet.  He has definitely improved and is using his hands less, but everyone once in a while he still grabs the ball.