2v2 Dribble Football

1. Mark a pitch about 18 metres long and 12 wide, with a goal 3 metres wide and 1.5 high at each end and a line 6 metres out from each goal.
2. Two against two. In each half, one player per team is the keeper: the only one who may use hands, and only inside the 6-metre zone. The keeper may also come out and play with the feet.
3. Every restart is a dribble-in: from the goal line after a goal or when the ball goes over it, from the sideline when it goes out there. The player who dribbles in may score alone, without passing.
4. Play two halves of three minutes. At half time the keeper and the outfield player swap.
5. Then change opponents. With more children, set several pitches side by side so nobody waits.

At five, children want the ball at their feet, and this format gives it to them with just one teammate added. The player on the ball decides: keep dribbling at the defender, or pass to the one teammate? The teammate decides where to go: close to help, or away to make room. The keeper decides when to leave the zone and join in. With only two a side, every one of those choices is the child's own, and nobody can hide behind a crowd.