Best Hockey Drills for Kids

Quick answer

The best hockey drills for kids are short, game-shaped, and matched to age: 5–7-year-olds need fun puck-touch games of 5–10 minutes, 8–10-year-olds can handle simple technique drills with targets and scores, and 11–13-year-olds are ready for structured shooting and stickhandling routines of 20–30 minutes. Keep every drill under 3 minutes per round, keep score, and stop while it's still fun — that's the whole formula.

Key takeaways

• Match the drill to the age band: games at 5–7, skill-with-scores at 8–10, structured reps at 11–13.
• Total session length: 10–15 minutes for 5–7, 15–20 for 8–10, 20–30 for 11–13.
• A lighter puck lets small players actually move it — a regulation 170 g puck is too heavy for most kids under 9.
• Every drill gets better with a score to beat. Kids repeat what they can win at.
• End on a highlight. The last rep is the one they remember tomorrow.

What drills work at each age?

Kids aren't small adults — their attention span, grip strength, and coordination change fast. Use this table as the master plan:

Age	Session length	Drill style	Best drills
5–7	10–15 min	Everything is a game	Target knockdown, obstacle dribble, red light–green light, mini shootouts
8–10	15–20 min	Skills with scores	Figure-eight dribble, call-your-corner shooting, pass against a rebounder, cone races
11–13	20–30 min	Structured reps + competition	50-shot routines, toe-drag patterns, one-touch passing, timed stickhandling courses

One rule applies to all three bands: rounds of 2–3 minutes, then switch. Ten short drills beat two long ones every time.

Drills for ages 5–7: make everything a game

At this age the goal is puck touches and love of the game, not technique. Use a light puck or a ball — a blue light puck weighs about a third less than a regulation puck, so small wrists can actually shoot and stickhandle instead of shoveling.

1. Target knockdown: line up 5 water bottles or cones, kid shoots until all are down. Count the shots; beat the count next round.
2. Obstacle dribble: a living-room slalom around shoes, cones, or toys. Time it, then "race the clock".
3. Red light–green light with a puck: dribble on "green", freeze the puck on "red". Sneaks in puck control and listening.
4. Mini shootout: 5 shots on a small goal, parent plays exaggerated "goalie" with a glove. Celebrate everything.

Coach Erik's tip: With 5–7-year-olds I end every session one round earlier than they want — always. The fastest way I've seen kids quit home training is a parent squeezing out "just five more minutes" past the fun. Leave them begging for one more round and tomorrow's session sells itself.

Drills for ages 8–10: skills with a score

Now technique enters, but always wrapped in a challenge. This is the perfect age for a first real setup: a shooting surface, a few cones, and a stickhandling ball for indoor days.

1. Figure-eight dribble: two cones 1 m apart, 60 seconds of figure-eights, count the loops. Head up for bonus points — cue: "eyes up, count the fingers" while a parent holds up a hand across the room.
2. Call your corner: 10 shots, the kid names the corner before each shot. Hits out of 10 is the score.
3. Rebounder rally: passes against a rebounder without losing control — how long can the streak get?
4. Cone race: dribble a 4-cone course, 3 attempts, best time wins. Add a sibling and it runs itself.

Drills for ages 11–13: structure plus competition

Players this age can follow a routine and genuinely fight to beat their numbers.

1. 50-shot routine: 25 wrist shots, 15 snap shots, 10 accuracy shots at called corners. Log the accuracy score.
2. Toe-drag ladder: 3 minutes of toe drags around an obstacle, slow and clean first, then at speed. Cue: "roll the wrists, don't stab" — watch for the top hand locking stiff.
3. One-touch passing: 25 one-touch passes per side against a rebounder or wall pass surface. Watch for: a squeezing bottom hand — the blade should give with the puck, not slap at it.
4. Timed course: combine a slalom, a toe drag, and a shot on target. Run it 5 times, track the best time all season.

Coach Erik's tip: When a drill gets easy at this age, don't add minutes — shrink the space. Moving cones from a metre apart to half a metre forces quicker hands than another ten repetitions ever will, and the player feels the difficulty as a new game, not more homework.

How the Game Changer turns drills into games

The hardest part of kids' training isn't the drills — it's getting a 9-year-old to do them again tomorrow. Most kids I coach will happily repeat anything that keeps score for them. The Extreme Game Changer solves that by turning stickhandling into a video game on a real surface: a sensor puck, lights, timer, and scoreboard built into the board.

Modes that work best for kids:

• Classic mode: chase the light with the puck, score counts up — pure reaction stickhandling that feels like an arcade game.
• 1v1 battles: two kids, one board, head-to-head score. Siblings will run this for an hour without a coach saying a word.
• Timed challenges: beat your own high score in 60 seconds — the same "one more try" loop as their favorite games.

Here's Classic mode in action:

For shooting-mad kids, a real target frame does the same motivational work: a full-size goal like the Goal Pro Steel with corner targets turns "go practice" into "go beat your record".

How long should kids' hockey sessions be?

• Ages 5–7: 10–15 minutes, 2–4 times a week. Stop at the first sign of boredom — always leave them wanting more.
• Ages 8–10: 15–20 minutes, 3–4 times a week. One skill focus per session.
• Ages 11–13: 20–30 minutes, 4–5 times a week if the player drives it. If the parent is driving it, cut the volume, not the fun.

Frequency beats duration at every age. Three 15-minute sessions build more skill than one 45-minute grind — and they don't burn anyone out.

Common mistakes

• Using a regulation puck with a 6-year-old. Too heavy — it teaches arm-shoveling instead of a real release. Fix: a light puck or ball until about age 9.
• Sessions that run too long. A great 12 minutes beats a miserable 40. Fix: end on a highlight, before they ask to stop.
• Coaching every rep. I've watched constant correction drain more young players than any losing streak — it kills the fun that drives repetition. Fix: one teaching point per session, maximum.
• No score, no stakes. "Just dribble for a while" bores kids in 90 seconds. Fix: every drill gets a count, a clock, or an opponent.
• Only training their strength. Shooters shoot, danglers dangle. Fix: rotate the four skills across the week, still fun-first.

FAQ

What are the best hockey drills for a 6-year-old?

Games, not drills: target knockdown with bottles or cones, obstacle dribbles around household objects, red light–green light with a puck, and mini shootouts. Keep sessions to 10–15 minutes with a light puck or ball, and celebrate loudly.

How long should a hockey training session be for kids?

10–15 minutes for ages 5–7, 15–20 minutes for ages 8–10, and 20–30 minutes for ages 11–13. Short and frequent beats long and rare — three short sessions a week build more skill than one long one.

Should kids use a lighter puck?

Yes, until roughly age 9. A regulation puck weighs about 170 g, which forces small players into bad shooting mechanics. A light puck (around 115 g) lets them learn a proper release and actually feel the puck roll off the blade.

How do I make hockey practice fun at home?

Give every drill a score, a timer, or an opponent, keep rounds under 3 minutes, and stop while your kid still wants more. Tools that gamify training — light-and-score boards like the Game Changer, corner targets, timed cone courses — do the motivating for you.

How many times a week should a kid practice hockey at home?

2–4 short sessions a week is plenty alongside team practice. Consistency matters more than volume, and rest days protect both the body and the enthusiasm.

What equipment do kids need for home hockey drills?

A stick, a light puck or stickhandling ball, and a few cones cover 90% of drills for under-10s. Add a shooting surface and a small goal or targets around age 8–10, and gamified tools like the Game Changer when you want training to run without you.

Summary

Great kids' drills are short, scored, and age-matched: games at 5–7, challenges at 8–10, routines at 11–13 — never more than 30 minutes, always ending on a win. Use a light puck for small hands, put a score on everything, and let tools like targets and the Game Changer supply the motivation so you can just enjoy watching.

Keep going: the parent's guide to hockey training covers how much is too much, fun off-ice hockey games adds 10 more games to the rotation, and the home training guide shows the full setup. More youth articles in the Youth Hockey hub.