*Disclosure:  I received complimentary product for the purpose of this review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

To say this has been a long, very cold winter would be putting it mildly.  With more -20 or colder days than I remember having my entire life, my poor kids needed something to help them burn off steam!  The Step2 Light-It-Up Junior Basketball Set was the perfect way for all of us to break up this long winter with some indoor fun as a family.

We have a small basketball hoop that we have had for quite awhile, but both kids are as tall as the hoop, so it gets boring kind of fast for them.  What makes this Step2 Light-It-Up Junior Basketball Set unique {and awesome} is that it is adjustable.  It adjusts to multiple heights in 6″ increments from 30″ up to 48″.

Adjusting is easy, simply pull out the clips and move the hoop up or down.  That means this will grow with your kids.  Right now, we have it on the second setting and it is just perfect for my 1 1/2 and my 3 year old.  They can reach up to put the ball in, but they also can practice throwing it to make baskets.

Hands down, the kids’ favorite part of the basketball set is the rainbow lights and sound.

There is an orange sensor that sticks out into the rim and when you make a basket, it sets off the lights and it cheers for you.  Charlie loves the cheering feature and will stop and clap with it, it is super adorable.  Every once in awhile, when you make a basket, the sensor doesn’t go off.  I’m not quite sure why, but the kids just go tap it so it goes off.

The basketball set comes with a 6″ basketball {that needs to be aired up}.  I love the ball.  I was a little concerned since we would be playing it inside, but it isn’t super hard.  I don’t have to worry that they are going to break a window with it, and it is a perfect size for those little hands.  We have a bunch of other balls that we use with the hoop too, and usually, we have about 6 balls laying around just waiting to be tossed around.

The base of the basketball hoop has 2 built in holders for drinks or ball storage, which is just perfect for the extra balls to sit.

I had some concerns originally as I watched my 12 year old nephew play basketball when he was here.  I was worried the rim was going to get broken because he would pull on it as he showed the kids how he could dunk it.  I have no doubt that over time, my little man is going to realize that he can hang or pull on it, so I want to know it is sturdy and will hold up.  As if I should have been concerned, this is Step2!  It is still in perfect shape after all of the roughhousing that has happened with it already.  The net is sturdy too, no flimsy material, using a real woven net.  It is easy for the kids to get the bigger balls that don’t fall all the way through, but their little fingers don’t get stuck or tangled.  I love that it includes a bright orange marking to put on the sturdy backboard.  We can bounce balls off of the backboard all day long and it isn’t going to bust into pieces.

I was a little intimidated when it arrived because of that whole, some assembly required thing.  Assembly isn’t my best feature, but this was a breeze.  To start with, fill the base with either sand or water to make it sturdy so the kids don’t get hurt.  Then, add the adjustable stand pieces.  The most time consuming, yet reasonable easy {I have horrible small motor skills} part was attaching the rainbow lights and sound piece inside the rim.  There are about a dozen small screws to put in.  Then, put in your batteries {not included} and attach the rim to the backboard.  Then, attach the backboard.  The final piece is to put the net on which is incredibly easy, and each spot snaps up so it won’t come lose when those little hands tug on it.

We love our Step2 Lights-It-Up basketball set and cannot wait until we can take it outside! Best of all, as my kids grow, so will the basketball hoop.  No more having to replace it every few years because they have outgrown it.  This is an amazing product that everybody in the family can enjoy.  We even used painters tape to draw the basketball court lines on the floor just to make it a little more fun for us.  Sometimes, the kids throw the balls to us on the other side of the room and tell us to shoot.  They get so excited when we make it.  Fact:  I am awful at basketball.  Even with this awesome hoop!  It’s a good thing nobody minds me missing most of the time.  Haha.

Even more fun is watching Charlie learn what balls {or balloons} are too big.  It is also great for teaching kids good sportsmanship.  As you can hear in the video, you can hear the kids cheering each other on and encouraging each other with comments like, “You almost did it.”

Buy it:  You can pick up your very own Step2 Light-It-Up Junior Basketball Set today because, I promise, spring is really coming!

*Disclosure:  I received complimentary product in exchange for this honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and only influenced by my experience with the product and company.*