Ball still running away?
A first dribbling game of small taps and a straight line.
Read about the first dribbling gameChild Looks Down When Dribbling: How to Get Their Head Up
Skill-Building Games
Touch, touch, look.
If your child dribbles with their eyes glued to the ball, this page gives you a counting cue, three head-up games and a way to tell when looking down is fine.
If your child looks down at the ball when dribbling, start with a counting cue: touch, touch, look. Say it together at walking pace, so the eyes lift on every third touch and drop again. Looking down is normal for a beginner who is still learning where the ball is, and England Football's guidance for 5 to 11s says that for younger players managing the ball may be all they can cope with. In a small eye-tracking pilot of young players, the weaker group looked at the ball more while handling it during a passing test. That is a link in a tiny group, not a cause, so treat the cue and the three games below as things to try, not a proven fix.
I used to shout "head up!" from the patio, and my child's head went up for exactly one touch, then straight back down.
The eyes are doing a job
How to Stop Staring at the Ball When Dribbling: Why They Do It
A new skill needs the eyes. A child who has only just learned to tap the ball along is checking where it is, how fast it is going and whether the next touch will land. Looking down works, so they keep doing it.
The small eye-tracking pilot followed 11 players aged 8 to 10 through a passing test. The lower-performing group tended to look more at the ball while they were handling it (read the pilot). That is a link in a tiny group, and it cannot show that looking up makes anyone better.
One coach argues that looking up follows confidence on the ball, not the other way round (Soccerwire's column on knowledge gaps in younger age groups). That is an opinion, but it matches what happens in our garden.
The cost of staring is real, though. A child watching the ball bumps into the fence, the washing line or a sibling, and never sees the pass coming. That is worth fixing slowly, once the ball is under control.
One limit to say plainly: no source found sets an age at which a child should look up, so this page does not either.
One cue to say aloud
The Head Up Dribble Drill: Touch, Touch, Look
This head up dribble drill has one job: give the eyes a place in the rhythm. Four steps, a minute or two each.
- 1
Walk it. Walking pace, small taps, the ball staying inside a stride. If the ball keeps running off, start with small taps at walking pace first.
- 2
Say it. Your child says "touch, touch, look" out loud, in time with the touches.
- 3
Look. On "look" the eyes go up for one breath. Find a person, a door or a plant pot on the far fence.
- 4
Back down. The eyes return to the ball for the next two touches. A glance, not a stare: Online Soccer Academy's head-up dribbling video calls it a balance between looking down at the ball and glancing up.
The cue is this page's own wording, not a rule from a source. England Football's dribbling tips tell coaches that players need to keep their head up and scan, and the counting cue is one easy way to get a beginner there.
No kit needed
Head Up Dribbling Games for Kids: Three to Try
Each game gives the eyes something to find. Each also has a stop rule, so a child who freezes and stares gets an easier version, not a telling off.
Call the Fingers
Stand a few steps away and hold up one to five fingers. Your child dribbles at walking pace and calls the number before the next touch.
Stop rule: if they stop and stare, drop back to the walking-pace cue.
Colour Call
Lay three colours of cap, cushion or tea towel around the garden. Call a colour and your child dribbles over and touches the ball near it.
Stop rule: if they stop and stare, stand still, point to the nearest colour and drop back to walking pace. Call the colour when they are mid-touch, not during a stop.
Wandering Obstacle
Stroll slowly around the garden as a moving obstacle. Your child keeps the ball and steers clear of you, and a moving person makes the eyes come up.
Stop rule: if they freeze, slow down or stand still.
All three games are the page's own, not drills from a source. The obstacle idea sits well with England Football's backing for small 1v1 and 2v2 games for younger players, which keep the ball busy.
For a stop-go version, try the traffic light dribbling game.
Slow and then smooth
From Staring to Glancing: A Look-Up Progression
Move up a stage only when the last one feels easy. There is no deadline, and some children sit on stage one for weeks.
| Stage | What it looks like | Move on when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walking, eyes mostly down | Counts "touch, touch, look" aloud | Looks up on most "look" counts |
| 2. Look on every third touch | No counting out loud | Needs fewer prompts |
| 3. Calls a number or colour while moving | Plays Call the Fingers or Colour Call | Answers without stopping |
| 4. Dodges a moving obstacle | Steers round you with the ball close | Does it twice in a row |
The table is this page's own ladder, not a standard from a governing body. Once stage four feels easy, add the glance when you practise turning with the ball.
If your child stops dead to look up, that is the stopping phase and not a failure. Say once, "keep it moving", and go back a stage if you need to.
Not every glance is a problem
When Looking Down Is Fine
Looking down is normal when a new move is being learned, in a tight corner or during the first few weeks with a ball. England Football's guidance for 5 to 11s puts ball mastery first and says managing the ball may be all younger players can cope with, and that is okay.
A child who keeps the ball close and enjoys the game does not need a fix tonight. Relax and keep playing.
What not to say is "head up!" on a loop. It teaches nothing, and one coach argues that shouting makes children rely on the adult's voice (Soccerwire's column).
I stopped saying "head up" and started saying "what colour's the cap?", and the eyes lifted without anyone being told off. For more on what to say instead, see what to say during play.
Try saying
"What colour's the cap?" or "Shall we count the touches again?"
What is known and what is not
What the Sources Say, and Where They Stop
England Football tells coaches that players need to keep their head up and scan (dribbling tips). It also says younger players may only manage the ball (guidance for 5 to 11s).
A pilot of 11 players aged 8 to 10 found the lower-performing group looked at the ball more (eye-tracking pilot). A 2025 five-week scanning programme improved head scanning in elite teenage girls (a 2025 scanning programme for youth female players).
None of these tested a game for a 5 to 9 year old in a garden. The pilot is 11 children and shows a link, not a cause. The programme was 36 teenagers, and the games here are my own. No source sets an age for looking up.
Quick answers
Common Questions About a Child Who Looks Down When Dribbling
Why does my child look at the ball when dribbling?
A beginner uses the eyes to check where the ball is. In one small pilot of 8 to 10 year olds, the lower performers looked more at the ball. It shows a link, not a cause.
How do I teach my child to dribble with their head up?
Start at walking pace, add "touch, touch, look", then try the three games. Build confidence first (England Football's guidance for 5 to 11s, Soccerwire's column).
Is it normal for a young child to look down when dribbling?
Yes. England Football says managing the ball may be all younger players can cope with (guidance for 5 to 11s).
What is a good head up dribble drill for kids?
Call the Fingers. Your child dribbles at walking pace and calls the number you hold up.
At what age should a child dribble with their head up?
No source found sets an age, and this page does not either.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Want a stop-go signal game?
Green dribble, red stop, then add amber.
Read about the traffic light gameReady to turn with the ball?
Two turns that keep the ball moving, taught slowly.
Read about turning with the ballTonight's five minutes
Touch, touch, look. Five minutes, no kit.
Say the cue once at walking pace, then play Call the Fingers for a few goes. Eyes up for a breath is plenty.