SAN DIEGO -- One of the best ways to build a child's self esteem and prepare him for school is to spend time with him. So every weekend, dozens of San Diego parents pick up a ball, and take their youngest children to a Project QKids program that uses soccer to bring families together.

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A small group gathered at a San Marcos park one recent Saturday morning, for the Joy of Sports Star Soccer program. Trainer, Alfredo Smith, is warming up his three, four, and five year old students by running them through drills.

"We're going to try to make the ball go forward and backward by using our foot ..." he says, and starts rolling the ball under his right foot. In moments, the kids show how easy the drill is for them.

Other drills are more challenging, for both the children and their parents. But getting the feet and ball coordinated isn't really the point of the "star soccer" program. Instead, the instructors are helping young families experience soccer, "but at the same time teaching parents how to interact with their children in a positive way, to create better self esteem," explains Smith.

So when a father and son work on dribbling the soccer ball, they're not aiming for perfection. They're aiming for quality time and interaction.

"The children are able to learn life skills, discipline, focus (and) the parents are able to have more bonding time, which only comes through quality time like this," says Headstart coordinator, Jaime Rodriguez. Most of the students in this soccer class come from Rodriguez's Headstart program. The Joy of Sports put on this Star Soccer program especially for them in hopes of better preparing the students for the challenges they'll face in school.

Joni Vanica watches her son try the next drill. "It's good for him to do things in a group and take instructions in a group," she says. Ana Loza agrees. Plus, "they all are coordinating and having fun with it and at the same time, learning," she says, which is important to her.

There is a science behind this learning, but the instructors rarely bring it up. Smith explains why.

"If I were to tell them ok you know we're going to do brain gym. This helps to integrate your left and right brain, which is going to help them in school. Now some parents may get that. But other parents are not going to get that."

Parents do get an important message on how to get the best performance out of their children. "Always praise them for the special little beings that they really are, you know?" says Smith. "That's what's really important."

The Joy of Sports receives funding for the Star Soccer program from the First 5 Commission of San Diego, which is aimed at helping improve the lives of children under the age of five. You can learn more about the Joy of Sports Foundation on their Web site.