Physical activity for primary school children

Overwhelmed by the array of options for after school activities or discouraged because the ones you've tried are either oversubscribed or too expensive?

LASEP, or " La Ligue des Associations Sportives de l’Enseignement Fondamental " is a local sporting association that works in collaboration with the Minsitry of Education as well as with numerous local authorities, schools, Maison Relais and sports federations to promote the physical activity, health and well-being of children.

LASEP complements the educational mission of primary schools by engaging in various extracurricular sports, with different options offered by commune.

The service offers regular training sessions in 78 local structures, following the philosophy of "multi-sports", enabling a wide range of possibilities for movement and physical activity. Boys and girls in primary school (between the ages of 3 and 12) are introduced to various disciplines in a playful way, with fair play being paramount. All children are welcome.

As the various clubs operate on a local level, it's important to get the contact details of the LASEP representative in your commune to find out where and when your club operates, what the minimum age requirement is etc.

Normally an information leaflet is sent home on the first day of school with the day(s) and time(s) of the sessions but, if you're like me and you like to plan ahead, you can try to get some information ahead of time from your rep.

My kids go to foyer (Maison Relais) after school and they are brought by the foyer staff to the local sports hall where they are met by the LASEP teacher (who is also a teacher in our local school) and then brought back to the foyer afterwards, which is very convenient and a service that is not offered by any other extracurricular activity that I am aware of.

This set up is ideal for me as the kids are getting exercise and having fun while I'm at work (relieving some of my Mom guilt) and I can take them straight home after work, leaving more time and less stress for homework, dinner, etc.

In our particular case the LASEP group is made up of kids from our local school and the instruction language is Luxembourgish, but the kids come from a variety of backgrounds and languages and they all mix together seamlessly.

The fee for the year was around €40 (no I did not forget a zero!) and the kids have a blast.

LASEP can serve as a springboard for children to become active in sports clubs; it's also a great way to have exposure to the Luxembourgish language in a non-academic environment where there is no pressure, only fun!

To find out more about LASEP in your commune click here or contact them at info@lasep.lu