Thanksgiving

Mock turkey legs from the Dollar Store

Trying to keep 4-6 year olds engaged and interested can be challenging no matter what you're doing. Throughout the season I do my best to take advantage of anything possible to change up the practice.

So to incorporate Thanksgiving into the practice I ran a drill using no pucks or sticks, just fake turkey legs. The kids loved it! Lot's of laughs and some really hard work on the drill. The kids without even being aware of it were practicing skating fast, crossovers, tight turns, and even dekes on the goalie (my team manager) :-).

The point here is that a coach should never just limit their props to pylons, nets, sticks, etc.  There's really no limit to what you can use, just ensure it's items that cannot hurt the players or damage the ice.  Take special care to ensure you're not using something that can fit through their cage/mask or something that they can become tangled.

Turkey Leg Drill

Feel free to take this idea, or build upon it.  Hope it helps keep the kids engaged!