WARM-UP AND COOL-DOWN GAMES
Confidence/self-esteem games
The Favourites Game
Children stand up and space out to throw a football around the room. Each time
someone catches it, they have to say their name, their favourite football team, their
favourite book and something unusual like their favourite dessert.
Social Circle
Children stand in a large circle. An adult starts the game by moving into the middle
of the circle. A football is bounced hard and a child’s name called out. That child
then has to run into the centre and try to catch the ball before it bounces a second
time. The child in the centre then bounces the ball and calls out the name of
another child. All children’s names must be called out.
Let’s Chant
Sing a chant together about books/football – one that the children already know or
one that you have written especially. Chants can easily be written to the tunes of
well-known songs such as YMCA.
“Come on, there’s no need to feel down
I said, come on, pick yourself off the ground
I said, come on, when you’re having a frown
There’s no need, to, be, un-happy
It’s fun to read a book ev-er-y-day
It’s fun to read a book ev-er-y-day.”
With a little confidence from the person leading, the children will love it. A different
version would be to ask one pupil to write down the lyrics of a football chant on a
whiteboard. To encourage them to sing the song, practitioners could download the
song on YouTube and you could end the session singing the song. Be careful you
don’t get a rude song!
Memory Game
One student starts a list about a topic given to them (e.g. Arsenal – Arsene Wenger).
The next student then repeats what the first student said and adds to the list (e.g.
Arsenal – Arsene Wenger – Jack Wilshere). You are “out” if you can’t remember the
list so far.
Energisers/ball games
Coach Says...
Based on “Simon Says”. If you instruct them to do something with the phrase,
“Coach says...”, they must do it. If you simply give the instruction without saying
“Coach says...”, they should not do it. For example, “Coach says... jog on the spot...
stop jogging.” (Anyone who stops is wrong and must sit down.) Keep going until you
have a winner.
Head/Catch Game
The children stand in a circle. The ball is thrown to a child. If you say HEAD IT they
have to catch it. If you sat CATCH IT they have to head it. If they get it wrong, they
have to kneel down. If they get it right, next time, they can stand back up. But if
they get it wrong twice, they have to sit down and be out. Keep going until you have
a winner.
Circuit Games
Set up three or four stations in a large space with P.E. equipment. For example:
• Skipping ropes
• Cones to dribble a ball around
• Balls for Keepy Uppy, passing to each other or heading to each other.
Split children into three or four smaller groups. Each group then stands at their
starting station. When loud pop music is played they start their activity. After a few
minutes the music stops and they rotate around to the next station. Play resumes
when the music restarts and continues until all groups have played all activities.
Word games
Rhyme It
A football word (e.g. goal or pitch) is called out and children have 30 seconds to list
as many rhyming words as possible.
Fill the Gap
Can be played in a team or as individuals. Write up a football word on the board
with some letters missing. For example: g - - l (goal) str - -er (striker). Give the
children a short amount of time to complete the word.
Football Rumours
Split children into small teams. Each team stands and makes a line. The person at
the beginning of the line has to whisper a sentence about football into the ear of
the person next to them. (This could be a sentence about their favourite player.)
This person then turns and whispers what they heard into the ear of the person
next to them. The whisper is passed on until it reaches the person at the end of the
line. Then that person has to say out loud what they heard. Is it different from the
original sentence?
Positive Words
The children stand in a circle. First child starts by saying a positive thing about the
Premier League Reading Stars group e.g. it is fun, we enjoy reading about football.
They then bounce/throw the ball to another child before sitting down. The child
that receives the ball says something else and passes the ball. Play continues until
all children have received the ball.
Say Hello/Goodbye
The children sit/stand in a circle. One child rolls/kicks a ball to another child in the
circle. The child that receives the ball traps it gently with their foot and says “Hello
xxxx” or “Goodbye xxxx” (depending on whether it is the beginning or the end of
the session) to the person who kicked the ball to them. The child who receives the
ball then kicks/rolls the ball to someone else until every member of the group has
been greeted.
Funny Footballers
Collect a selection of photographs of footballers. Cut these into heads, torsos and
lower limbs. Ask the children to get into pairs. Put the heads, torsos and lower limbs
photographs into separate piles. Each pair comes and takes an item from each pile.
Each pair then puts together their pieces of paper to make a footballer. Can they
make up a name for their footballer? Allow the children a few minutes to look at
each other’s creations. Then ask the children to return their magazine pieces,
shuffle them and start again.
Animal Whistles
Children spread out in a large space. When the whistle is blown once, the children
jog. When two whistles are blown, a picture of an animal is held up. The children
then have to move around the room mimicking the movements of that animal. One
whistle is given again and the children resume jogging. Repeat with different animal
pictures.
Pass the Ball
Children spread out in a space, randomly. A soft ball is thrown between the children
in silence. Instructions are intermittently called out by an adult like:
• Stand on one leg
• Keep one eye closed
• Use one hand only
• Hot potato (throw the ball really quickly)
Children then have to catch the ball according to these new instructions. If the ball
is dropped by a child they are out and sit down. The last child standing is the
winner.
Football Hangman
Split the group into small teams to play hangman against each other, using footballrelated words (e.g. pitch).
Finding Words Within Words
Can be played in a team or as individuals. Write a word on the board with lots of
letters. This could be the name of a football team. The children then have a short
amount of time to find as many small words as they can from the letters that make
up the larger word.
A to Z of Football
Split the children into small teams. An adult is the referee. One group is chosen to
start. They think of a football-related word beginning with A, then one beginning
with B and so forth. Set boundaries – for example, no names of players or stadiums.
They have five seconds to come up with each word. If they come up with a nonfootball related word, or go beyond the five seconds allowed, they lose
“possession” and the next team takes over. Each word that a team gets right is
awarded a point. The team with the most points wins. The referee’s decision is final
on whether the word is football related or not.