The Indoor Sports Camp has been chugging along for several weeks now, and has been an unqualified success. Hosted at the Basement Sports headquarters in downtown Jersey City, the weekly aftercare program lets kids socialize, while working up an old-fashioned sweat in the process.

A typical session sees a mix of structured and unstructured play. The structured portion is soccer and hockey-focused, and has led to many a rousing match. Game play has been guided by the Basement Sports App (a virtual scorekeeper) and by the materials included in our 2-in-1 Soccer/Hockey Starter Kit. The unstructured portion of the camp, by contrast, is as straightforward as it sounds; kids are able simply to play as desired. That might mean anything from kicking a soccer ball around freestyle to a vigorous game of tag. Whatever the kids pick, we consider it a valuable part of the experience.

“Unstructured play is a set of activities that children dream up on their own without adult intervention,” says Michael Patte, Ph.D. “This type of play rarely has predetermined goals or objectives but instead allows children to create their own rules and establish their own limits.” Meanwhile, a growing body of research supports the importance of socialization among children. Our Indoor Sports Camp seeks to address all of these concerns, and to do so through the conduit of fun.

To top it off, the Sports Camp has proved to be a blast for Little Kids and Big Kids alike. Our staff has greatly enjoyed watching and facilitating the soccer/hockey games, while those of us involved in the creation of the app and starter kits have had the pleasure of watching the fruits of our labor bear out in real time. Several parents have also opted to stay and watch the fun after dropping off their kids. It is, in sum, a great time had by all.

We host the camp on Thursdays, from 3-6PM. It will run until Thursday March 17th. For more information, and to sign up, visit basementsports.com/indoor-sports-camp.