10 Fun (and Useful) Basketball Drills for 6-Year-Olds

When children are growing up, they’re interested in many different activities. Accordingly, these basketball drills for 6-year olds are a mix of few sports.

These are the years when they somehow find everything so fascinating. It won’t be long after they discover other sports, so why not give them a head start.

These basketball drills should be used as an important factor in children’s’ mental and physical development.

Through these drills, kids fulfill the need to be independent. They’re learning to be self-sufficient. With playing and fooling around at the same time, children carelessly adapt their interests to the interests of the group.

Basketball is of the highest significance for kids in elementary school, especially in first and second grades (ages 6 to 8). It helps to ease the transition from a social setting, where the child is mostly supervised, to the other environment where he or she receives duties, accountability, freedom.

Basketball drills for this age should serve as development for all basketball aspects:

Hand movement (the simulation of the passing)
Developing the explosive power in arms
Precision development
Developing the feeling of space
Holding the ball
The ball manipulation
Passing and catching the ball

Since we know how hard can be to find good drills for younger categories (that the kids will actually do), here are the examples of fun basketball drills for every 6-year old. Hope they will enjoy!

1. Roll the ball (in pair)

Improvement: Hand movement (the simulation of the passing).

What’s their position? Children in pairs sitting opposite each other with their legs spread. Make sure they’re at least 6-7 feet away from each other.

What should children do? They roll the ball between each other alternately.

Why this drill? This is the perfect drill for kids at this age that never played any basketball to improve motor skills in their hands and arms.

2. Circling the Ball (in a group)

Improvement: Passing and catching the ball.

What’s their position? They sit or stand in a circle(s) at a distance of 7-9 feet.

What should children do? They give the ball to a child next to them with both hands. When the ball makes a circle, they’re receiving it back. Make them do it 10-15 times in a row; less is more here.

Why this drill? Simply because some kids yet don’t have a feeling for the ball. Most of them (who are just getting started) played with smaller and lighter balls before basketball.

3. The Ball’s on Fire (individual)

Improvement: Hand movement (the simulation of the passing), developing the explosive power in arms.

What’s their position? They stand on an imaginary line, one foot forward, and they’re holding the ball with two hands above or under the head.

What should children do? On your signal, they throw the ball as further as they can. You know what fake pass is? Do the fake whistle on them to check out how concentrated they are.

Why this drill? Developing a somewhat power in their arms will do wonders for their physical development and the game of basketball. You’ll see the results of this drill (implications in the game) very soon.

4. The Ball’s on Fire II (individual)

Improvement: Hand movement (the simulation of the passing), the precision development.

What’s their position? This is an alternative to the previous drill, so again they’ll stand on a line.

What should children do? On your signal, they throw the ball as further as they can. Only now they have an object they have to hit.

Why this drill? We’re repeating the same pattern because it works. This time we included precision work to mix things up a bit.

The best thing about these basketball drills is that they’re not made just of typical cyclic movement, but of various free moves. This is important, so they don’t get bored of it. We know that to keep the kids interested we need to animate and encourage them every step of the way, no matter what they do. 🙂

5. Hit the Cone (individual)

Improvement: Hand movement (the simulation of the passing), precision development.

What’s their position? At the distance of 7-9 feet from the children, we set tall cones. You don’t have to be precise.

What should children do? They hold the ball on the chest or above the head and try to hit the cone.

Why this drill? This is an improved version of the previous drills and makes the children work on their precision a little bit more.

6. Up, Up, Away

Improvement: Developing the feel of space, the ball manipulation

What’s their position? The children are standing on the floor with the ball in their hands waiting for the instructions.

What should children do? They throw the ball in the air and try to catch it. Encourage the children to perform this exercise without moving their feet.

Why this drill? It’s important for kids to practice the power in hands and to be able to catch the ball.

7. Bounce

Improvement: The ball manipulation

What’s their position?

What should children do? The children are bouncing the ball with two hands standing in one spot.

Why this drill? For coordination of both hands.

8. Up, Up, Away II

Improvement: Developing the feel of space, the ball manipulation.

What’s their position? Variation of the previous exercise, they’ll stand on the floor far enough from each other.

What should children do? The children are throwing the ball in the air, letting it bounce and catch it. Encourage children to try to perform this exercise without moving their feet.

Why this drill? Basics, basics, basics. There will be time for more complicated drills.

9. Up, Up, Away III

Improvement: Developing the feel of space, the ball manipulation

What’s their position? Variation of the previous exercises

What should children do? with the kids throwing the ball over, so they turn around and try to catch.

10. Bounce II

Improvement: The ball manipulation

What’s their position?

What should children do? The children are bouncing the ball with one hand standing in one spot.

These 16 basketball drills for 6-year olds represent only a small part of what can be done in one year of 6-year-olds basketball career. There are dozens of other drills and we’ll be covering more and more drills with time. So stay tuned to Improve Hoops.