Do this...
Play a number of different sports and get a number of different experiences. It is true that sports and other athletic activities add to the overall motor development of young players. These functions include running, hand/eye coordination, balance, etc... It is very important at the formative ages that players develop these skills through a broad range of athletic activities. Whether it be basketball, volleyball, dance or whatever, getting away from soccer to get a different motor demand is important to individual development.
Not that...
Specialize in soccer from an early age. For all of the reasons I mentioned above it is important to experience different things. All soccer all the time can lead to deficiency in some motor skills and can also lead to unnecessary burnout. Have fun with whatever you do as it will develop a love for sports and athletics. You can decide which sport is your passion later.
Do this...
If you are going to play soccer in the off-season I highly recommend that it is done without a focus on results. I think your time can be best spent at a individual skills camp or clinic so that the player can further deepen their technical ability. Indoor or 3v3 teams should be relatively unorganized where there is no coaching and where players play in all positions on the field. There should be no strict guidelines or tactics employed. One of our parents had it exactly right. The team played 7v7, so he made colored chips to match positions. For example, yellow were forwards, green were midfielders and red were defenders. Before each game the players drew a chip to find their position for that half of the game. It was repeated at halftime. There was no coaching during the game. The players were left to sort it out for themselves. Brilliant!
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You guessed it. No organized teams. No specific positions. No focus on winning. Let the players own the game. I have seen the opposite approach destroy team chemistry both among players and parents. I have also seen this create rivalries among teammates. It happens when parent's put together indoor and 3v3 teams using the players from our existing teams. When certain players are excluded or dropped in order to stack teams for results resentment is the by product. Parents will always claim the best intention. This type of thing is born by a parent's ego getting in the way of kids having fun and developing as players. When the players return to their normal team in the fall or spring it has undermined the coaches ability to develop a team. Worse yet, it has created a less the harmonious atmosphere among the players and parents. Bad news. Beware.
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Rest. Players need time away from soccer. They need to rest their bodies. We have seen an increase in injuries in young players over the years. Some of these injuries are related to growing, but some are related to overuse. This doesn't even consider the long term damage it could be doing. We set our schedule in a very calculated way. Our younger players do less and we slowly raise the demand over years. We try to limit the number of games these players play in a year. My recommendation is as follows:
U8 - 25-30 games per year
U9/U10 - 30-40 games per year
U11/U12 - 35-45 games per year
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Play year round. As I mentioned above, the players need not only a physical break from the game, but also a mental break. We want the players to come back fresh physically with an excitement to be back with their team. Playing for their team, an indoor team, 3v3 and adding something like ODP leaves the players exhausted. In this state they are unable to develop or play to the level they are capable. Let them be kids.
I bring you this information from experience of watching players along the developmental process. The reality is that kids who are U8-U12 have almost the sole goal of pleasing their parents, teachers and coaches. They are not mature enough to say "no I don't want to do that." For that reason it is critical that you put your trust in a coach that understands the process and has experience dealing with young players. Soon enough these young players will mature and start to resist. The notion that the more you play the better you will be is absolutely untrue. During the formative years it is more important to seek a non-intrusive environment that gives the kids freedom to experiment. Let the player lead the way in developing a passion for a sport. Let them own the game.
