Young children who are beginners to a sport need to enjoy the learning process. If they find a game to be too difficult, they may become discouraged. Choose volleyball drills and games that help small children learn the basics of serving, volleying and handling the ball without feeling intimidated by the level of skill demanded. The more enjoyable the game, the more likely children are to remain engaged and be encouraged to progress to the next level of play.
Strike the Target
Divide the players into two teams. Give one team a set of plastic bowling pins, empty potato chip cans, empty tennis ball cans or empty soda bottles. The job of this team is to protect these items, which are the targets for the other team to strike. Pass several beach balls to the other team and instruct them to strike the ball and attempt to knock over a target. Once a player picks up a beach ball, he must stay in place until after he strikes the ball. If he misses, he may move, pick up another and try again. Score one point for each strike that hits a target and two points for each strike that knocks down a target. Rotate sides every few minutes.
Blanket Volleyball
Lower the net to a height that is suited for the age group of your players. Give each team a beach towel or sheet. The serving team will use the towel to launch a volleyball. The opposing team will attempt to catch the ball and launch it back. Volley continues until the ball is dropped. The team on the opposite side of the net from where the ball dropped scores a point. That team then begins the serve and play continues until one team reaches a predetermined score.
Keep Away
Separate players into groups of four or five. Give each group one volleyball, beach ball or balloon, depending on the age group. Have each group from a triangle or square around one member. The player in the middle tries to intercept the ball as the other players volley it between them. When the middle player intercepts the ball, she scores a point and remains in the middle until she scores a predetermined amount of points. Another variation is to rotate players. Once the middle player intercepts the ball, he changes places with the last player who passed the ball.
Knock My Block Off
Divide the kids into groups of three or four players. For each group set up a traffic cone with a Nerf ball on top. Position the cones so there is enough space to avoid interference between the groups. Give each group a volleyball or beach ball. Players take turns spiking the volleyball at the Nerf ball in an attempt to knock it off the cone. Score one point for each time the volleyball makes contact with the Nerf ball and two points for each time it actually knocks it off the cone.
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