The theme of the Koningsspelen this year is ‘Twist’. The materials in the Koningsspelen Package can give a sporty and royal twist to the Koningsspelen sports and games day, with games such as Royal Family Memory, Royal Tangram, Succession to the Throne and Blowing Out Candles for the King. All games have been developed at two levels on separate game cards, which also indicate the materials needed for each game. Sports games have been developed on sports cards for older pupils.

Reducing the organisational burden

To reduce the organisational burden, a planner, various organisational formats and rotation schedules have been added to the package. The package is complete with a certificate, breakfast placemat, countdown calendar, bunting and flags.

More and more schools are choosing to work together with local sports clubs. Sometimes this is only for older pupils, meaning that a programme still needs to be put together for younger pupils. Parents or other volunteers are increasingly taking over this organisation. The free Koningsspelen Package is intended for this group as well as for anyone who needs inspiration when organising the Koningsspelen.

How the Koningsspelen Package came about

Geke Versprille explains how the Koningsspelen Package came about: “The aim of organising the Koningsspelen is to organise a nationwide day of sport to show children how important and enjoyable exercise and physical activity are. Like me, they consider it very important that children enjoy—or learn to enjoy—being active and leading a healthy lifestyle. That is why, in 2013, Linda Thuijs and I responded to the call to help schools fill in their sports day programme. Linda and I put together a programme, devised a number of games, developed a certificate, a placemat and other fun materials, and offered these to schools in the Netherlands and to Dutch schools abroad.”

Website
Via the website: www.koningsspelenpakket.nl everyone can download the basic package free of charge and create a sports programme for the Koningsspelen. An extension to the package is also available. “At a certain point, we increased the number of downloads and started developing additional materials and other themed packages.” The royal package is downloaded not only by schools; childcare centres, out-of-school care centres, hospitals and care institutions also make good use of the downloadable materials. In recent years, requests have come from no fewer than 160 different countries.

The foundation of the Koningsspelen Package is the same every year, says Versprille: “We do make sure that the package contains new games each year and that the design of the materials is adapted. That is the twist we create each year. We receive positive responses to the package from all over the world. While one school mainly uses the placemat and certificate, another school is enthusiastic about the games that change each year. Some schools use the package to organise the entire Koningsspelen sports and games day, while other schools use parts of the package for a group of pupils who do not take part in activities organised by sports clubs or locally organised sporting workshops and clinics.”

Special target groups

When compiling the Koningsspelen Package, an effort is made to take the wishes of the various target groups into account. The games are selected so that there is a suitable offering for every group. In 2016, Leraar24 made recordings at a Mytylschool. They also use the Koningsspelen Package there, but use the special game cards. These game cards have been adapted so that children who use a wheelchair can also participate. Seeing the enthusiasm with which this group of children took part in the Koningsspelen is a great incentive to compile a suitable special package each year.

Contents of the Koningsspelen Package

  • Programme manual
  • Planner
  • Game cards with 12 developed games and 8 sports games
  • Scorecards
  • Organisation schedules, including sports tournament
  • Certificate
  • Medal/name badge
  • A3 placemat in colour and as a colouring sheet
  • Flags/bunting in colour and as a colouring sheet
  • Countdown calendar
  • Note-taking sheet

Request the free Koningsspelen Package here.

The Koningsspelen Package can be requested throughout the year and downloaded in March and April.