Nursery children in Greater Manchester and Cheshire meet their early learning goals dribbling, kicking and controlling a ball at tailored football coaching sessions.
The Mini Soccer Stars coaching sessions for children aged two to five years are designed to help develop balance, co-ordination, awareness of space and listening skills.
Former foundation stage teacher and FA qualified coach Gary Lewis, founder of Mini Soccer Stars, runs the half-hour sessions in 30 nurseries and early years settings across Greater Manchester and Cheshire each week. He started the sessions after seeing that there were no opportunities in the area for younger children to play football.
'The sessions are designed for both boys and girls,' says Mr Lewis. 'When I approach nurseries to see if they are interested in running the sessions, some say they don't think it would be suitable as they don't have many boys at the setting. But girls really enjoy the sessions too and often perform better than the boys, as they tend to listen more and are focused. They take their time and are able to control the ball, whereas the boys tend to rush into things and charge round.'
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