Hi Daniel,

How exciting that your daughter got such an early start with soccer! As you likely know, girls who are engaged in sports get better grades and  tend to avoid risk-taking behaviors including early sexual contact and tobacco use.

I think it is wonderful that you are going out and seeking information and guidance on a topic that is not your area of expertise. Your commitment to your daughter is obvious, and she is lucky to have you as a father!

First, as you have probably heard, the World Cup of soccer begins June 11th in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is an ideal time to expose your daughter to the elite play of "the beautiful game."  The team from the U.S. is strong and is expected to do relatively well in this World Cup. They have a very important match in the first round of play against England on June 12th. Perhaps, you could host a little game watching party at your home and invite your daughter's closest friends or soccer teammates. Schedule time for a little soccer scrimmage in your backyard or nearby park afterward.

Second, if you are looking for tips on teaching your daughter some new skills, look no further than YouTube. Just search for "soccer skills" and you will find a number of great videos in which experts have provided tips and tricks on teaching youth new soccer moves or skills.

Best of luck to you and your daughter. Go Team USA!

Sincerely,

Laura Kauffman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
JustAsk Expert

It's a challenge to keep them all focused & not running wild in practices. Having an additional person (weekly parent volunteer or a friend) might be helpful if you've got an energetic bunch.
Since they'll most likely start off in games by playing a bit of "bunch-ball", try to spread them out in a circle during practice to work on kicking the ball to particular people across from them (so they work on accuracy & trapping, while spread out).
Dribbling to a cone & back is good, too, but if you make it a race between a few lines, their control might go steeply downhill.