Play Phase session: penguin valley

Session overview

This session will help players:  

• improve a variety of movement skills
• begin to develop basic dribbling skills
• work on their coordination. 

If you like this idea, download the session cards and give it a go. And don’t forget to share your experience on the England Football Community. We’d love to know how you got on. 

Organisation  

Penguin valley is an 'individual game'. This means each child has an object, such as a ball, which they move and engage with in different ways. The freedom of these games gives children the chance to explore and try new things.  

Setting up penguin valley is easy. All you'll need are a group of players, cones, and some footballs. 

How to play

Make the valley for the penguins to run through by making two lines of cones with a gap between them. The wider the gap, the more room for the children to move around. 

The aim of the game is to move the egg (football) through the valley and back down the outside. Ask the children to walk like the penguins through the valley. Encourage them to take lots of little touches of the ball with both feet. When they have reached the end of the valley, they can pick the ball up and carry it back to start again. They could also dribble back down the outside if more comfortable. 

When the children are more confident with the session, ask some to act as 'polar bears'. The 'polar bears' will move around to obstruct the penguin's path.