Football Activity Guide
Activity Overview
It's common to start teaching football skills from Reception, with children learning basic ball skills such as kicking and stopping. In Key Stage 1 children typically play a modified football game along with other invasion games, meeting the national curriculum requirement to participate in team games and develop associated skills.
From Key Stage 2 football education becomes more structured, aiming to consolidate and progress core skills such as dribbling, passing, receiving and shooting, while developing an understanding of space, teamwork and decision-making. Pupils will begin to develop more advanced skills, such as controlling the ball with both feet, simple passing accuracy and basic movement into space. As pupils progress through the key stage, they begin to combine skills under pressure, such as dribbling past opponents, choosing when to pass or shoot, and applying simple defending techniques such as tracking a player or intercepting passes. Common KS2 activities include dribbling challenges, passing drills, shooting stations, and conditioned small-sided games that allow pupils to apply their skills in realistic but manageable situations.
Below you’ll find key information on Football, a free KS2 lesson plan, and a range of resources suitable for teaching Football confidently to all age groups.
Key Football Information
Age Range
Football is taught to children at Key Stage 1 with our Attack Defend Shoot units and at Key Stage 2 through our Football units.
❌ Foundation/Reception
✅ Key Stage 1
✅ Key Stage 2
Football Rules
Our easy to follow rules document has everything you need to know for successfully teaching football to primary school-aged children, and is available as a handy downloadable PDF file.
Football Glossary
Our football glossary provides a comprehensive guide to the naming conventions and terms used in Primary PE / KS2 Football. This glossary is available as a downloadable PDF file.
Free Football Lesson Plans & Units of Work
Year 5 Football
Play effectively in a variety of positions and formations. Relate a greater number of attacking and defensive tactics.
Year 5 Football Lesson 1
- Turn with the ball unchallenged
- Receive the ball and turn into space
- Receive the ball and turn to shoot
We are learning: to turn with the ball Activity: Assessment for Learning Task
Paid Subscriber Content
At the The PE Hub, we offer a wide range of lesson plans covering the variations of football and football skills taught at Foundation/Reception, Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2.
For Key Stage 1 we offer subscribers 24 lesson plans under our Attack Defend Shoot module, which aim to develop and consolidate key football skills as part of a broader invasion games curriculum.
For Key Stage 2 we have 24 football lesson plans. All our KS1 and KS2 Lesson Plans are grouped into manageable units of work and designed to make it straightforward to teach football to primary school-aged pupils.
All our lesson plans come with detailed downloadable resources as standard. We have more than 80 resources for football across our various modules, covering all the key teaching points and skills used across Foundation/Reception, KS1 and KS2.
Football FAQs
Is football part of the primary PE national curriculum?
Teaching football is one of the most common ways schools meet the requirements for games at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Through football, pupils practise attacking and defending, passing, receiving and applying simple tactics as part of a team. Football is a cited example activity for KS2-aged children.
Is football taught at all primary school ages?
Yes. Football is commonly taught from Foundation Stage through to Key Stage 2. In Reception and early years, lessons focus on basic ball control, kicking, stopping and moving with a ball. At KS1, pupils begin playing simple, modified games that introduce passing, shooting and basic game understanding. By KS2, pupils develop more advanced skills and apply them in structured small-sided matches.
What skills should pupils learn in KS2 football?
KS2 pupils typically learn controlled dribbling, accurate passing, shooting technique and basic defending skills such as marking and intercepting. As pupils progress, they begin to combine skills under pressure, make decisions in games and understand simple team tactics.
What equipment do I need to teach primary PE football?
A basic football setup includes size-appropriate footballs (often size 3 for KS1 and KS2), cones or markers, bibs and goals or target areas. Most primary football lessons use small-sided games on playgrounds, sports halls or sections of a field.
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