A 5-year-old will give you about five good minutes on one thing. Then a butterfly lands in left field and practice is over. That's not a problem to fix. It's the age, and the best t-ball drills are built around it.
The best t-ball drills for 5–6 year olds are short games: 5 to 6 minutes each, one simple cue, small groups and a ball in every kid's hands. Rotate three stations, keep lines to three kids or fewer, and end with a game they'll beg to play again.
Train it: 46/60 Coach Playbook ($59) → Free: Free Practice Plan Builder →How do you keep 5 and 6 year olds paying attention?
You don't fight the short attention span. You plan for it. Canada's national baseball body describes this stage as play, not practice, with short sessions that keep kids moving.
- 5 to 6 minutes per drill. Switch before they get bored, not after.
- One cue per drill. "Eyes on the ball." That's the whole lesson.
- Talk for under 30 seconds. Show it once, then let them try.
- No line longer than three kids. Long lines are where the dirt-digging starts.
- Name every drill like a game. Kids will run to Alligator Chomp. They'll walk to Ground Ball Practice.
Ask two parents to help before the first practice. Three adults means three stations, and three stations means nobody stands around.
Six fun t-ball drills, one cue each
- Ready, Freeze: Like Simon Says. Call "Ready!" and kids snap into an athletic stance: feet wide, knees bent, hands out. Call "Freeze!" and they hold it for three seconds. Cue: "Knees bent like a gorilla."
- Alligator Chomp: Roll a ball slowly to each kid. They put the glove on the ground and the top hand snaps down like an alligator's mouth. 5 rolls each. Cue: "Glove on the grass, then chomp."
- Bucket Ball: Kids throw at a bucket or hula hoop from about 10 big steps. Make one, take a step back. Cue: "Point your glove at the bucket."
- Tee Smash: Two or three tees aimed at the backstop or a net. 5 swings, then go fetch your balls. Cue: "Watch the ball get hit."
- Run Through First: Kids run from home and run through first base to a cone a few steps past it, where a parent waits with a high five. Cue: "Run past the base, not to it."
- Clean-Up Crew: Dump a bucket of balls in the infield. Two teams race to fill their own bucket. Count them together at the end. Cue: "One ball at a time, run it back."
At Tee Smash, listen for that solid sound. BK calls it "Ball — powdered." For a 6-year-old, it means chase the good sound off the bat, not a pretty-looking swing.
A 45-minute t-ball practice plan
| Minutes | What happens | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Ready, Freeze | Gets wiggles out and teaches the ready stance |
| 5–10 | Run Through First | Everyone moving right away |
| 10–28 | Three stations, 6 minutes each: Tee Smash, Alligator Chomp, Bucket Ball | Small groups, lots of touches |
| 28–31 | Water break | Every practice, no exceptions |
| 31–40 | Everybody hits, everybody runs: a mini game with no outs | Feels like real baseball |
| 40–45 | Clean-Up Crew, then huddle | Ends on a race and a cheer |
Want to drag and drop your own version? Build it in the free practice plan builder and print it for your clipboard.
What to skip at this age
Skip anything with a long explanation. Skip drills where one kid works and eight watch. Skip keeping score in games.
Skip fixing every swing. Pick one thing, usually "watch the ball," and let the rest grow with reps. Kids this age learn by doing a lot, not by hearing a lot.
Skip guessing the rules. Whether coaches pitch first, how many swings a hitter gets and when outs count change from league to league, so check your league's rules.
How do I keep t-ball practice safe?
- Only the hitter holds a bat. Every other bat stays on the fence.
- Draw a big circle around each tee. Nobody walks in while a hitter is up.
- Helmets on at the tee and on the bases.
- Use softer balls for catching games until gloves and hands catch up.
- Water every 15 minutes, shade when you can, and stop if a kid says something hurts.
End every practice in a huddle with a BK favorite: "It's a great day to be you!!" For a 5-year-old, it means you showed up, you played hard, and you belong out here.
If you're coaching a team, the 46/60 Coach Playbook gives you what to teach, the cues and station plans for a whole season. The first three lessons are free.
One thing to remember
Five-minute games, one cue and short lines will teach a 5-year-old more than any lecture.
What to do this week
Pick three drills from this list and run them as stations at your next practice. Ask two parents to help, set a 6-minute timer on your phone and switch when it goes off.
Parent questions
How long should t-ball practice be for 5 year olds?
About 45 minutes is plenty for most 5 and 6 year olds. Keep each drill to 5 or 6 minutes and finish while they still want more.
What should 5 year olds learn in t-ball?
The basics: a ready stance, watching the ball, stopping a rolled ball, throwing toward a target, hitting off a tee and running through first base. Fun comes first.
Should 5 year olds use a glove right away?
A glove helps, but soft balls and barehand catching are fine early on. Use softer balls until kids catch with confidence, and check your league's rules on equipment.
COMING SOON · JOIN THE WAITLIST →
Sources: Baseball Canada: LTPD Stage 1 Active Start (U6) coach one-pager · Little League University: Little League Tee Ball Program