Cartoon boy in a number 7 soccer jersey kicking a ball by a small goal, trees, clouds, and grass.

Number 7 Kicks Toward the Backyard Goal

A smiling number 7 player leaps beside a small net as the soccer ball arcs over a winding path and grassy yard.

🎨 How to color it

Color the number 7 jersey bright red, the soccer ball classic black and white, the goal frame silver, and the trees leafy green. Use chunky crayons or markers for the large shirt, shorts, and sky shapes, then help with the goal net’s little squares if your child wants. Try a pale blue sky behind the clouds so the flying ball and raised sneaker pop.

The story behind this coloring page

Why Goal Nets Hug Back — Beside the curvy backyard path, Nico set himself a tiny challenge: kick the ball so softly it would whisper into the goal. The grass smelled wet and sweet. Read the full story →

Beside the curvy backyard path, Nico set himself a tiny challenge: kick the ball so softly it would whisper into the goal. The grass smelled wet and sweet. Tap went his shoe. Puff went the ball. But the breeze kept pushing it past the posts.

“Wait for me,” Nico told the wind. He kicked once more, gentle as a bedtime pat. The ball floated in, and the loose net folded around it with a hushy shhh, like a blanket. The wind liked that sound so much it stopped tugging. Ever since, soccer nets have hugged the ball when it comes home. Can you find the kick that started the hushy shhh?