School-Age Programs
For Ages 4½ to 10 Years
Children begin to think of themselves as athletic (or not) at these ages, and the consequences are significant. We offer a full range of fun programs that are ideal for helping any child get off to a great start athletically, whether they aspire to play competitive sports or not. See Help Me Choose, below, for guidance selecting among the programs for your child.
Personalized Attention Helps Children Thrive
Don't let your child get lost in the shuffle in impersonal classes offered by big box sport centers, or try to learn skills at a rec league practice. These are good places to apply skills, but not to learn them. At Great Play, with our small intimate setting, our patented interactive technology, our unique curriculum that turns practice into play, and our highly trained coaches, we provide the perfect setting for kids to develop the skills that will start the ball rolling to lifelong success (see a detailed description of our approach).
Help Me Choose
Which program is right for your school-age child?
First off, there's no need to limit yourself to only one program - feel free to enroll in more than one at a time and visit us more than once a week! If you have to choose, below you'll find how our programs compare. As always, feel free to give us a call to discuss placement, and we welcome you to take a trial class as well!
Great Play 50 vs. Sports Programs
Both programs are an absolute blast for the kids, and combine developing important skills for athletic success with having a lot of fun!
Consider a sport skill program (Multisport and various Single Sport programs) for children who are enrolled in or preparing to enroll in a recreational sports league. We focus on building an essential toolkit of skills (throw, catch, kick, shoot, etc.) for one or more sports, one skill per class.
Great Play 50 is not focused on specific mechanics of sports per se, but builds fitness, coordination, teamwork and overall athleticism through 50 minutes of directed play. It is perfect for the athlete (building fitness and teamwork) and non-athlete alike.
These programs are highly complementary - consider both!
Multisport vs. Single Sport Programs
Our Multisport program makes it fun for kids to master a broad toolkit of 30 essential skills for six sports. This sets children up for overall success and confidence in leagues and on playgrounds alike. It also can help them sort out which sports they enjoy the most and suit them best. We alternate sports each week to cross-train and keep it fun!
Our Single Sport programs (baseball, basketball, flag football and soccer) quickly build skills and confidence in a specific sport, often to complement a Player's participation in a recreational league. We stick with the same sport each week and get into more detailed skills.
If a child is preparing for a specific seasonal sport, the Single Sport program is a good option. Otherwise, we generally recommend the Multisport program for developing a broad overall toolkit of skills.
Zumba, Great Play Style
Zumba is a great combination of fitness and fun. We combine that with our own specialized dance-themed Great Play games to make Zumba, Great Play Style classes fun and developmentally valuable