![](/media/j0uiim0n/aa2486a4fd8d310c226be719c928a4db.gif?width=1002&height=668&bgcolor=White&v=1da4db2e1a5ae20)
You may love football, you may hate it, but you have to admit that many children find it quite fascinating! As well as the obvious benefits for children's physical development, football and other sports have great potential for developing children's language and role play, while at the same time promoting social understanding and well-being.
LANGUAGE AND LEARNING
Every sport has its own vocabulary, and football has a lot of words and expressions that children love to use - referee, penalty, goal, red card, yellow card, offside (let's not go there!), corner, flag, half-time, goalie, foul, sent off, celebration. There are lots of opportunities for using action words, such as kick, score, dribble, throw, pass, fall down, get up, run, jump and head the ball.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here