By Nina Hermansen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.
Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Colourbox

Kids need to play. They need to move. And preferably at the same time. This was underscored with the publication of recommendations by Denmark’s Commission on Well-being.

But we need to find new ways of creating strong communities for children. One of the ways is through playful exercise. Niels Nygaard Rossing, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science and Technology at Aalborg University knows this.

He does research on children and young people's play - including the opportunities and limitations when they participate in sports. Along with colleagues and head coaches from LykkeLiga, he has developed LykkeLeg – a training concept that uses play as a tool to promote motivation, joy and sports participation among children and young people.

Handball training is incorporated into stories about the animals in the zoo, Stjerneland, Spilleland or as part of "Mysteriet om den stjålne pokal". It's the same training as before. Just framed as play. And that makes a difference, Niels Nygaard Rossing explains:

"When children play, they develop not only their motor skills, but also memory, creativity and social skills. They learn to work together, solve problems and create relationships. At the same time, a playful approach can create a positive atmosphere where more people want to participate – even those who don’t normally feel at home in a sports facility."

Everyone must participate on their own terms

Since the autumn of 2024, over 80 LykkeLiga clubs have started using the concept, and the ambition is to get even more involved, including clubs outside LykkeLiga.

The concept is based on French sociologist Roger Caillois' theory of the four dimensions of play: competition, chance, simulation and disorientation.

These elements are incorporated into the training exercises to create variation and engagement among the players. And it is quite deliberate that this is being done in collaboration with LykkeLiga:

"The players are enormously different, with very different abilities and needs, but in LykkeLiga they manage to create space for everyone to participate. We’ve tried to support this even more in LykkeLeg," says Niels Nygaard Rossing and adds:

"At the same time, we know that not everyone is equally enthusiastic about play. But we believe that a playful atmosphere can contribute to a positive mood and support the notion that players who are not initially enthusiastic about playing can want to participate when they experience others being engaged in the game."

Bats are good for defence

One of the clubs that has started using LykkeLeg is Bjerringbro FH. Head coach Annette Overgaard has been part of the team for six years, and although she is passionate about being with the kids, she admits that it can be difficult to keep the motivation up. The children in the squad are in different places both physically and mentally, and this has put limits on creativity.

With LykkeLeg, she and the other coaches have been given concrete tools that make it possible to meet the children where they are:

"The children in our squad don't need a long explanation of why they have to do this or that. It’s very intuitive that bats are good on defence, or that elephants stand firm. We can play handball and at the same time develop the players and the game."

She thus hopes that other clubs outside of LykkeLiga will embrace the material:

"We are known for creating more space for play, and it’s great if others can also use this method in handball."

The project is funded by the Vissing Foundation.