Students get children moving
Since September 2025, five enthusiastic students ( Michiel, Iris, Raf f , Gio , and Yara ) have been working within the Teamplayers project at various 2Samen out - of-school care locations . Every Thursday, they start their day at the head office , where they reflect together on what they have observed. What stands out? Where do children already move around a lot? And where could they still use an extra push?
The students come from a wide range of sports programs, from the HALO to Sport & Exercise and Sport Science. This mix provides a fresh perspective and new ideas. At the locations, they notice significant differences. For instance, they see that prohibiting screen use has an immediate effect. “When you come home, you often sit on the couch with movies or games. But at the locations where that is not allowed, you see that children automatically go outside,” says Michiel.
That is not a given everywhere. Some locations have less structure or limited space. Sometimes there is nothing more than a balcony. That calls for extra creativity. How do you ensure that children become active in such a small space? The Teamplayers have found that every location requires a tailored approach. What works here might not fit at all elsewhere.
You feel better and get sick less often. That is what we want to pass on to the children as well.
One of the biggest challenges is the large age gap in out-of-school care. An activity that suits a four-year-old perfectly might be completely uninteresting to a twelve-year-old. “You actually have three or four groups that all want something different,” Michiel explains. The students are therefore looking for ways to design play so that every child can participate and have fun, without groups dropping out.
In doing so, they are building on advice from the Teamplayers from last year. Among other things, it was recommended to work with activity schedules. In practice, it turns out that such a schedule works best when it truly suits the location. After all, out-of-school care is still free time. “You want to encourage them, but you can’t impose anything on them,” says Michiel. It is about inviting, not forcing.
In addition to their efforts with the groups, the students also organized a sports day this year with a Winter Games theme , inspired by the Winter Olympics. The children participated in activities that playfully linked to winter sports such as ice skating. A new event will follow later in the year.
What drives the Teamplayers is their own love of sport. They know how enjoyable exercise is and how much it can contribute to how you feel. They want that for the children too. “You feel better and you get sick less often. We want to pass that on to the children as well,” says one of the students.
The Teamplayers continued working at the locations until June. Together with the pedagogical staff, they looked for ways to make physical activity more fun and natural. In this way, children discover not only what they are capable of, but above all how much fun it is to be active. Now and in the future.