Kick — a step-by-step lesson for grown-up and child
This lesson teaches the kick’s two-part secret: the plant foot beside the ball, and the swing from the hip — taught in slow motion before the ball ever flies.
What is this?
Kick is striking a ball with the foot: the standing foot plants beside the ball, the kicking leg swings from the hip with the toe down, and the ball leaves fast and true.
What does it mean?
The kick is the last ball skill to mature — feet are far from the eyes — so slow-motion teaching matters: the plant foot is where aim lives, and the hip is where power lives. One slow swing teaches both.
What does the child need to know?
Your child needs three kick ideas: the plant foot stands BESIDE the ball, pointing at the target — the aim is in the plant; the swing comes from the HIP, the whole leg like a pendulum; and the toe points DOWN at contact — the top of the foot is the striker.
Why this matters
Kicking is the first sport skill most children love — and a clean plant-and-swing at two or three becomes the soccer strike at five without relearning.
What it teaches
Single-leg balance on the plant (a hidden skill!), hip-swing power, aiming with body position, and the follow-through that keeps the kick honest.
Words to learn
kickplant footswinghiptoe downtargetswing
Say this to your child
“"Kicking has two secrets! The plant foot stands BESIDE the ball, pointing where you want the ball to go — your aim lives in your standing foot. And the kick leg swings from the HIP, big like a pendulum, toe pointing down. Slow motion first — plant… swing… whack! — then let it fly!"”
Step by step
- Show the card: "This is kick — one foot plants, one foot swings."
- The plant: stand beside the ball, plant foot pointing at the target — "your standing foot is the aim." Try it: point the plant, see where the ball will go.
- The swing: the kicking leg swings from the HIP, big and slow in slow motion — a pendulum, toe down.
- Slow-motion kick: the whole kick at quarter speed — plant… swing… contact… follow through. Three slow ones before one real one.
- Play the kick games below and close: "plant beside, swing from the hip."
Look closer at the picture
On this card the word "Kick" stands in big navy capitals inside the rounded frame, with a friendly kicking illustration below — exactly as the swing and ball look.
Ask your child
"Where does the plant foot stand? Where does the swing start — knee or hip? Which way does the toe point?"
What your child can say or do
Your child might say: "Plant beside, aim with my foot!" "Swing from the hip — pendulum!" or the striker: "Toe down — whack!"
Out in the real world
Kicks wait in every garden ball, hallway soft-ball and playground pitch — and the plant-foot aim transfers to every one. Slow-motion first is how soccer schools teach it too.
Try it together
Slow-Motion League: three quarter-speed kicks before every real one — plant… swing… contact — then the real kick at a two-chair goal. Then the target round: a chalk X on the fence or wall — plant foot aimed at the X, ball flies, X hit earns a roar. Five kicks each, plant-aimed every time. The aim lives in the plant — the slow league proves it.
Understanding check
Ask: "Where is the aim? Where does the swing start? Which way does the toe point?" The plant foot, the hip, down — three answers and the ball flies true.
Parent tips
A size-1 mini ball or soft toy ball makes early contact easy and honest. And the slow-motion rule is the lesson: children who can KICK SLOWLY own the pattern for real.
This lesson pairs with the Kick flashcard in the library — print it, show it, keep it on the fridge. Back to Playground.