These soccer crafts for kids started life as a single soccer ball craft post, and then kept growing. Kids who love soccer want more than a paper plate ball. They want a game they can actually play on the kitchen table, a jersey with their own number on it, a medal for the end of the season. So that’s what’s here: twelve crafts, from a five-minute toddler one to a keychain older kids will clip to their bag.
Everything uses stuff you probably have already. Paper plates, a shoebox, toilet roll tubes, paint. Five of the crafts have a free printable template, and there’s no email needed to get it.
Quick safety bit before you start. Balloons can be a choking hazard for kids under 8 if they pop, so stay close and pick up every scrap. Permanent markers and the oven are grown-up jobs.
Soccer Ball Crafts
The original five. Every one makes a soccer ball, just in a different way.
Paper Plate Soccer Ball
Ages 3 and up, about 15 minutes.
You need a white paper plate and black paint or a thick black marker. That’s all.
Draw a pentagon in the middle of the plate, then five more around the edge, and fill them in black. Wobbly shapes are fine. They actually look more like a real ball in motion than perfect ones do. Leave the white gaps between them.
If you’ve got a toddler, draw the outlines yourself and let them do the coloring.
Balloon Soccer Ball
A soccer ball they can bounce off the ceiling. Blow up a round white balloon and tie it. Then a grown-up (or an older kid) draws pentagons all over it with a black permanent marker, spaced out, not crowded together.
Tie a ribbon to the knot and it’s a decoration. Leave it loose and it’s indoor soccer. Ages 4+, 20 minutes, close supervision.
Hanging Paper Soccer Ball
Trace round a bowl on white card and cut out the circle. Draw the pentagon pattern with a black marker, color every other shape, punch a hole at the top and thread some ribbon through.
These look great strung in a row across a window, or glued onto the front of a birthday card for a soccer-mad kid. Best for ages 5 and up.
Painted Rock Soccer Ball
This one’s for older kids (6+) and takes a bit of patience, maybe 25 minutes plus drying time.
- Find a smooth, round rock. Garden centers sell bags of them if you don’t have a beach nearby.
- Paint it all white with acrylic paint and let it dry properly.
- Paint black pentagons with a fine brush.
- A coat of clear sealant keeps it from chipping.
It makes a surprisingly nice paperweight, or a gift for a coach.
Soccer Ball Cupcake Toppers
The quickest one on this page, about ten minutes. Print the cupcake topper page from the template, color the balls, cut them out and tape each one to a toothpick or lollipop stick. Ages 3 and up with help cutting.
Push them into cupcakes for a party, or into a block of cheese for a slightly odd but very popular snack plate.
More Soccer Crafts for Kids: Games and Team Gear
Seven new ones. The first two are games, which is where things get competitive.
Shoebox Soccer Game
You’ll need a shoebox (lid off), green paint or paper, a white marker, two craft sticks, and a ping-pong ball or a scrunched-up ball of foil.
Line the inside of the box with green paper or paint it. Draw the field lines in white: halfway line, center circle, a box at each end. Cut a small goal-shaped hole in each short end, just bigger than your ball. Then each player gets a craft stick to push the ball with, or they just flick it.
This takes about 40 minutes to make and roughly 30 seconds for the first argument about whether a goal counted. Ages 5 and up.
Finger Soccer Players
Print the finger player page, color the jerseys in your team’s colors, and cut out each player. There are two holes at the bottom of each one. Kids poke two fingers through and those become the legs.
Pair it with the shoebox field above and you’ve got a full match. Even four-year-olds can manage this one if a grown-up cuts out the finger holes.
Team Jersey Bunting
Print a few copies of the jersey shapes from the template (or draw your own T-shirt outline). Each kid colors one jersey and writes their name and a number on the back. Fold the top tab over a long piece of string and glue it down.
It’s a lovely one for a team party, because everyone’s jersey ends up hanging in the same line. If you want a more detailed jersey to design, our jersey design template has more shapes.
Toilet Roll Soccer Team
Save a handful of toilet roll tubes. Paint the bottom half one color for shorts and the top half another for the jersey. Add a paper circle for the face, draw on a smile, and glue on wool or paper strips for hair.
Make two teams in different colors and line them up. Kids tend to name every single player. Ages 4+, about 30 minutes for a team of five.
Soccer Headband
Cut a strip of card long enough to go round your child’s head and staple it into a band. Glue a paper soccer ball from the template to the front, and add a couple of paper stars. Done in fifteen minutes.
Good for match days, birthday parties, or any time a small person wants to be “the captain”.
Paper Plate Medals
Every kid gets a medal. Cut a circle from the middle of a paper plate (or use the medal circles in the template), color it gold, silver or bronze, and draw a soccer ball in the middle. Punch a hole and thread through a length of ribbon.
These are perfect for the last practice of the season, especially for the little ones who just want to know they did well. Our trophy craft goes nicely with them.
Shrink Plastic Soccer Keychain
For older kids, around 8 and up. Trace a soccer ball (about three times bigger than you want the finished keychain) onto shrink plastic, color it with permanent markers, cut it out and punch a hole near the top before baking.
A grown-up bakes it following the packet instructions, and it shrinks down to a thick little charm. Add a keyring. It’s the one craft here that teens tend to ask for, and it’s great as a team gift.
Which Soccer Craft for Which Age?
- Ages 3 and under (with help): paper plate soccer ball (you draw, they color), cupcake toppers, the headband.
- Ages 4 to 5: balloon ball, finger players, toilet roll team, medals.
- Ages 6 to 8: shoebox game, painted rock, jersey bunting.
- Ages 8 and up, and teens: shrink plastic keychain.
I’m still not sure which one gets the most use. The shoebox game probably wins on hours played, but the medals are the ones that get worn to bed.
Free Soccer Craft Templates (PDF)
Download the Free Printable
⬇ Download PDF (Free)The template pack has everything the soccer crafts for kids above need printed: cupcake toppers, finger players, jersey bunting, the headband ball and stars, and medal circles. It prints on US Letter and A4. Use card stock if you can, it holds up much better.
More Free Soccer Printables
- Soccer coloring pages
- Soccer ball coloring pages
- Sports coloring pages
- Soccer bingo cards
- Soccer word search
- Trophy craft for kids
Soccer Craft FAQs
What are some fun crafts I can do with soccer?
A shoebox soccer game and finger soccer players are the most fun, because kids can play with them afterwards. For something quick, try a paper plate soccer ball or soccer ball cupcake toppers.
What are some easy soccer crafts for preschoolers?
The paper plate soccer ball, the headband and the cupcake toppers. A grown-up does the outlines and cutting, and the child colors.
What are some cool soccer things for kids to make for their team?
Jersey bunting with everyone’s name on it, paper plate medals, or shrink plastic keychains as end-of-season gifts.
Are these soccer or football crafts?
Both. It’s the same sport, called soccer in the US, Canada and Australia, and football in the UK. These soccer crafts for kids work wherever you are.
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