After the kids understand which goal they're trying to kick the ball into, the next concept is to always try to kick the ball in that direction. This can be confusing, because if they watch soccer matches in person or on TV - or maybe they see older kids playing - in those games players are kicking the ball every which way. Clearly, these youngsters do not need to be so fancy as to be arbitrarily kicking the ball backwards at the opponent's goal. To encourage directionality - I like to use a drill called Turnaround. This drill literally involves dribbling the ball, and when I yell turnaround, the kids do a 180 and start going in the other direction. This conditions them to repeat the same activity in the game (and this is a wonderful tool).
When the kids understand which goal is which, and can turn the ball around you're ready for the last step... guarding the goal. Most leagues under 5 or 6 don't use goalies, so it's up to your team to plug the middle in front of the opponent's goal when the ball gets close. I try to teach that the closest player to the ball attacks, and the others play between the ball and the goal in a straight line. The astute among you might say, that's great, but you're leaving the passing lanes open. This is true - and if a 5-year-old can make the pass to an open teammate on the wing for a goal, so be it. The "plug the middle" strategy is very effective until the advent of goalies in the 6-7 year old leagues.
Good defense will lead to good offense - like it does in a lot of other situations. The kids will respond well to the other team not scoring - especially if they are able to get a few goals... Use defense as your key strategy to a successful season.
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