A ball: soccer ball outdoors, soft foam ball indoorsHave
A chair or stool for DadHave
Water bottle for each of youHave
A pencil and this card for the tallyHave
Where: A flat spot about 15 feet long, away from the street. Use a soft foam or light ball indoors.
Before you start
Drink up. AAP says to drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise or play, and to cut back or stop in high heat and humidity.
Take breaks. AAP says rest periods during play can reduce injuries and prevent heat illness. The plan has one halfway.
Stop if it hurts. AAP says to stop the activity if it hurts and not to play or exercise through the pain.
Away from the street. Play in the yard or a room, not the driveway or near the street. If the ball rolls toward the road, Dad gets it.
02Steps
Warm up and drink
TogetherThree easy minutes: jog in place, then jumping jacks, then a few big arm circles. Take a drink of water before you start.
Pick the goal
TogetherSit in the chair about 6 to 10 feet from your kid (4 to 5 feet for ages 4 to 6). Pick tonight's target by age: 20 for ages 4 to 6, 60 for 7 to 9, up to 120 for 10 to 12. Say it out loud: "120 is something to work toward. Tonight we're just counting." Ages 4 to 6: do only rounds 1 and 3 (catch, then foot), 4 minutes each, with the water break between them.
Round 1: catch
TogetherToss underhand at about waist height, and your kid catches and tosses it back. Hands make a basket, pinkies together, and pull the ball in. Your kid counts each clean control out loud: the ball ends up in their hands or at their feet within one touch, without bouncing away. About 2 minutes, then move on even if the goal isn't reached. Ages 4 to 6: 4 minutes, then the two-minute water break.
Round 2: thigh, then a water break
TogetherToss soft and a little higher. Your kid lifts one knee to waist height, lets the ball land on the flat of the thigh and lowers the leg as it lands so the ball drops to their feet. About 2 minutes. Then stop for a two-minute water break and shake out your legs.
Round 3: foot
TogetherToss so the ball bounces once just in front of your kid. As it comes down, they put the sole of the foot on top of it and stop it, or cushion it with the inside of the foot. About 2 minutes. Ages 4 to 6: 4 minutes.
Round 4: chest
TogetherA soft toss to chest height. Your kid leans back a little, arms out, bends the knees and lets the ball drop to their feet. About 2 minutes.
Total it up and stretch
TogetherAdd up the clean controls and write the number on the card. Hit the goal? Celebrate. Missed it? "That's tonight's number. Next time we start there." Don't compare with other kids. Then two minutes of easy stretches for legs and arms, sitting on the grass or floor, and put the ball away together.
03If it stalls
If they miss a lot, toss slower and shorter, or drop the goal in half. Fewer clean reps is fine.
If it gets too easy, toss a little higher, scoot your chair back a step or switch feet.
If they lose interest in counting, let them pick the next skill or add a silly one, like a knee trap.
If there's no yard, use a foam ball in a cleared room away from lamps and glass.
04Variations
Ages 4–6
Goal 20. Two rounds of about 4 minutes, catches and foot traps only, and you toss from 4 or 5 feet. Let them count the reps on their fingers.
Ages 7–9
Goal 60. All four rounds. Add one challenge round where they pass it back with the other foot.
Ages 10–12
Goal up to 120 across the four rounds. They keep the tally on the card and set next week's goal.
RainMove inside with a foam ball in a cleared room, or wait for a dry afternoon.
ColdWarm up a little longer and wear layers you can shed. Skip the chest round if their jacket is stiff.
A field card like this one for the weekend, one quick plan for a weeknight. Nothing else. The first letter hasn't gone out yet. You'll get one email to confirm.
Kids and daily activity. CDC says children 3 to 5 need to be active throughout the day, and children and adolescents 6 to 17 need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day, mostly aerobic. This plan is a ball-skills session, not a substitute for that daily activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Checked Oct 17, 2026
Fluids, breaks, stopping when it hurts, stretching. AAP says to drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise or play to avoid dehydration, and to decrease or stop in high heat and humidity; to take breaks, because rest periods can reduce injuries and prevent heat illness; to stop if it hurts; and that stretching after play can increase flexibility. American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) Checked Oct 17, 2026
Idea from a r/daddit thread, in our words. The facts come from the sources above.
