The six-week summer holiday is one of the biggest challenges for parents trying to balance kids’ screen time and outdoor activity. However, children often spend more time indoors on tablets, games, and TV.
But with the right setup, your back garden can become a football training space, helping kids stay active, develop skills, and enjoy over 100+ extra hours of outdoor playtime during the summer break.
Football Starts at Home: The Football Flick Mission
At Football Flick, we believe:
Football starts at home.
Our training equipment is designed to help families turn everyday outdoor spaces into interactive football development zones. We focus on: Fun, game-based learning, easy setup in back gardens and encouraging active lifestyles for children
This summer, our goal is to help parents create the best summer holiday experience for kids through football activities.
Why Outdoor Playtime Activities Matter for Kids in Summer
Encouraging kids to play outside is more important than ever. Regular outdoor play activities for kids help improve both physical and mental development.
Some of the benefits of outdoor football play are: Reduces screen time naturally, improves coordination, builds confidence through skill progression, encourages healthy habits and an active lifestyle, as well as strengthens family bonding through shared play.
When organised outdoor activity becomes more engaging, kids are more likely to choose outdoor football training over passive screen entertainment.
Turning Your Back Garden into a Kids' Football Training Zone
You don’t need a professional pitch to build real football skills. A simple back garden football setup can deliver positive results when paired with the right equipment.
The key is engagement and excitement. If it feels like a game, instead of exercise, where kids are provided instant feedback and rewards, kids will keep coming back.
When outdoor play becomes fun, screen time naturally decreases.
5 Football Garden Games That Keep Kids Active All Summer
You don't need to organise formal training sessions every day. The best way to keep children outdoors is to make football feel like a game rather than practice. Here are five simple activities that the whole family can enjoy.
1. Beat the Rebound Challenge
This simple game is perfect for improving first touch, passing accuracy and reactions while keeping children moving.
Set up a rebounder or solid wall around 2–3 metres away from your child. Set a 60-second timer and challenge them to complete as many successful passes as possible without losing control of the ball.
Once they've mastered the basics, increase the difficulty by trying:
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One-touch passing only
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Weaker foot only
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Alternating feet every pass
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Taking one step backwards every 10 successful passes
If there are two or more players, turn it into a friendly competition by seeing who can complete the most passes before the timer runs out.
Top tip: A football rebounder such as the Football Flick Urban Skills Trainer makes the challenge even more engaging by returning the ball at different angles. It encourages children to react quickly, improves first touch and passing, and allows them to practise independently or compete with family and friends.
2. Garden World Cup
Turn your back garden into the biggest football tournament of the summer!
Set up two goals (or one goal with a marked shooting line) and create a mini pitch using cones, garden markers or even shoes as corner flags. Let each player choose a country to represent and create a simple tournament bracket on paper.
Play three-minute matches, with the winner progressing to the next round until one player is crowned the Garden World Cup Champion. If there are only two players, take turns being the striker and goalkeeper, swapping roles after each game. You can even invite neighbours, cousins or grandparents to join the tournament.
To keep the excitement going all summer, award 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and keep a leaderboard on the fridge. At the end of the six weeks, crown your family's Summer Champion with a homemade certificate, medal or small prize.
Top tip: A goal such as the Football Flick Urban Garden Goal creates a dedicated match area, making every game feel like a real football match while encouraging children to invent new games and tournaments of their own.
3. Football Tic-Tac-Toe
Bring the classic game of Tic-Tac-Toe into your back garden with a football twist.
Simply lay out a 3 × 3 grid on the grass using rope, elastic cord, flat marker strips or cones to create nine squares. Position the grid a few metres away from a goal or target.
Players take turns shooting. If they score, they can place their coloured marker (or bib, beanbag or cone) in any square of the grid. If they miss, play passes to the next player. The first player to get three markers in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins.
This game combines shooting accuracy, decision-making and strategy, while keeping children active without feeling like they're training.
Top tip: The Football Flick Ultimate Skills Pack includes a ready-made Tic-Tac-Toe grid, making it quick to set up and easy to pack away after play.
4. Spin the Challenge
Keep every training session fresh by turning it into a surprise challenge.
Write a selection of football tasks on small pieces of paper and place them in a bowl, or create your own spinner with different categories such as Passing, Shooting, Dribbling, Skills and Speed. Each time your child spins or picks a challenge, they have to complete it before moving on to the next one.
Some fun challenge ideas include:
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Complete 10 one-touch passes.
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Score 5 goals in a row.
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Dribble around 5 cones using only your weaker foot.
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Perform 10 kick-ups without the ball touching the ground.
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Hit a target 3 times before the timer runs out.
Mix easy and difficult challenges together to keep children motivated and excited to see what comes next.
Top tip: The Ben Nuttall Challenge Pack takes the guesswork out of planning, with over 500 football challenges, challenge cards and skill cards that keep every session different throughout the six-week summer holiday.
5. Beat Your Best Score
The only person your child needs to compete against is themselves.
Choose one football challenge each week, such as passing accuracy, shooting at a target or dribbling through cones, and record their best score on a chart or whiteboard. At the end of each week, encourage them to try and beat their own personal best.
Tracking progress helps children see how much they're improving, building confidence while keeping them motivated to practise a little more each day.
To make it even more exciting, celebrate every new personal best with a sticker, certificate, extra dessert or a family movie night. Small rewards help create positive habits and make outdoor play something children look forward to.
Top tip: Want to make training feel like the pros? The Football Flick Smart Football Tracker with Shin Guards records training and match stats through wearable trackers, allowing kids to monitor their progress, unlock new levels and even compete on a global leaderboard. Seeing their stats improve week after week is a fantastic way to keep them motivated throughout the summer.
For even more uninterrupted practice, pair it with the Urban Return Ball, so children can spend less time chasing the ball and more time improving the stats they're tracking.
6-week activity plan for kids
👉 Download the 6-Week Summer Holiday Football Training Plan for Kids here.
Celebrate Progress, Not Just Goals
Keeping children motivated throughout the six-week summer holiday is all about celebrating their effort and improvement.
Rewards don't need to be expensive. Simple incentives can encourage kids to stay active and look forward to their next football session, such as:
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An extra dessert after completing a weekly challenge.
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A family movie night.
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Choosing the next family activity.
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A homemade "Player of the Week" certificate.
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Inviting a friend over for a garden football match.
For bigger milestones, such as completing the full six-week challenge or mastering a new skill, consider a special reward. The Football Flick Pro Gold World Cup Limited Edition Match Ball is a memorable gift that celebrates their hard work and gives them something to enjoy long after the summer holidays.
Above all, the best reward is spending quality time together. The memories made playing football as a family are often the ones children treasure most.
Make This Summer Active, Not Passive
The summer break doesn’t have to mean endless screen time.
With a simple setup and structured approach, parents can help children stay active, build football skills, spend more time outdoors and enjoy meaningful, healthy play
With the right back garden football training equipment and a 6-week activity plan, you can turn this summer into a season of growth, energy, and fun.
