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A young child hangs from a climbing wall in an indoor gym, wearing a t-shirt, blue shorts, and climbing shoes—a great example of youth activities. Other climbers and people are visible in the blurred background. A young child wearing a t-shirt, blue shorts, and climbing shoes hangs from a large indoor climbing wall during one of the gym’s Youth Programs. Other people are visible in the background of the bustling climbing gym.
Youth Programs

The Kids are Alright

Climbing Is A Path

Watching a child apply natural ability and curiosity to our walls is to witness the power of our sport. Yes, it’s meant to be fun, but under the guidance of our Youth Programs, climbing becomes a vehicle for developing resilience, confidence, and problem solving. Maybe most importantly, this is a place to build community and real life experiences.

 

Three young children are jumping indoors in front of a colorful climbing wall, with playful pink and white doodles accentuating their movements—a lively scene inspired by DC Youth Programs.

SUMMER CAMP

Experience the world through climbing, team-building, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) activities, and more! Each week of camp is filled with opportunities that will help your child build skills that will last a lifetime. At Bouldering Project summer camp, kids focus on climbing, while making new friends, letting out their goofiness, and learning life skills through games and activities.

Summer Adventures is intended for Ages 4-14 and is offered on a weekly basis from June 30th through August 29th.

A group of smiling children enjoy DC youth programs indoors. One child lies on the mat, raising a leg playfully, while others watch with amused expressions. Bright sunlight streams in, creating a lively, joyful scene.

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Climbing at Bouldering Project is a great way to stay active during time off from school. Our Adventure Days are offered whenever DCPS is out for the day! These single day camps are designed to give a well-rounded experience of climbing, arts and crafts, making new friends, and learning some life skills.

Adventure Days run from 9 AM – 3:30 PM on DCPS Holidays. Available for ages 4 – 14.

A young girl wearing a red “Climb Like a Girl” shirt climbs an indoor rock wall during one of DC’s youth programs, reaching up to grip a green hold, with yellow and gray holds around her and a chalk bag at her waist.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Curious about rock climbing? Our Kids Academy program is the perfect place to learn how to climb and make awesome memories at the same time! 

A child wearing a green shirt climbs an indoor rock wall at a DC Youth Programs facility, reaching up to grasp a large yellow hold with one hand. The wall features various colorful grips on a blue background.

MINI CLIMBERS

Mini Climbers is on hold for the summer! This program will resume in the first week of September.

Welcome to our youngest climbers’ class, where parents can join in the fun as well! For ages 3 and 4, this exciting and secure climbing structure encourages children to unleash their creativity and boundless energy while also fostering essential skills like risk assessment, basic body awareness, and teamwork.

Saturdays from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

 

A young child with curly hair joyfully dances with eyes closed and a smile, wearing a white T-shirt decorated with colorful drawings—capturing the vibrant spirit of youth programs in DC. People and a busy indoor setting are blurred in the background.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Celebrate at Bouldering Project with a party full of climbing! At Bouldering Project, our fantastic birthday party and event crew provide everything from climbing instruction to challenge games. Our private space with climbing walls is perfect for any celebration. Our parties are ideal for ages 4-10 years and include a reservation of our Party Room.

A young girl in climbing gear scales an indoor bouldering wall at a DC youth program, gripping colorful holds and wearing pink leggings, with a padded mat below for safety.

YOUTH TEAMS

Our climbing teams develop youth as climbers and humans, fostering personal growth through setting and achieving goals, developing critical thinking skills, and increasing self confidence through a competitive platform.

Interested in Youth Team? Email Katie.Allen@boulderingproject.com

Youth Rules and Expectations

Climbing is an exciting and fun sport—but it does come with risks. We insist on highly-attentive adult supervision to mitigate these risks for youth and other climbers. Before climbing with us, please read through our Rules and Expectations.

  1. Youth under the age of 14 must be closely accompanied by an adult at all times.
  2.  Our supervision ratio is 2 to 1; up to 2 youth climbers can be supervised by 1 adult chaperone at a time.
  3. Stay far from the walls and out of fall zones when moving through the gym or waiting to climb. A “fall zone” is anywhere on the mats where a climber could land if they were to fall. 
  4. Make sure to check where a route ends before starting to climb–some routes are close together or even overlap, and you don’t want to end up directly above, below, or next to another climber. 
  5. This is a climbing gym! Please save running, wrestling, horseplay, and gymnastics for other spaces. 

Due to programming, the youth room is unavailable on certain days and times each week. When not in use for programming, the Youth Room is open and available for you to enjoy!

Have questions about climbing, the facility, or risk? Ask our staff—we are here to help.

Youth Programs: Jonah.Donis@BoulderingProject.com

Front Desk: 202-667-2404