Anna Good question. As a track coach in the UK I had the opportunity to work with kids aged 8-9 all the way up to adults. There is definitely a difference to coaching at these different levels. One of the most obvious changes is the athletes reasons for participating.
Young athletes are more focussed upon having fun and getting the opportunity to participate.
When teaching skills to kids at this level i try to make every drill or lesson into a game environment and often add an element of fantasy to drills. I also make sure that all kis get equal playing time and that I focus more upon their development than on whether or not they win or lose. As kids get older they become more serious about their sports and the focus shifts to the development of skills and getting to opportunity to comepete and test themselves. Although fun is still important at this level it takes a back seat to the importance of developing skills. As kids get older their is also a need to focus more upon conditioning.