Fundamental Movement Skills (and how they develop through play)
Submitted by the Lethbridge Sport Council
When you hear the term literacy, do you think of the ability to read and write? The word ‘literacy’ can also describe other skills. The Australia Sports Commission defines physical literacy as building the skills, knowledge and behaviors that give us the confidence and motivation to lead active lives.
Being physically literate is a fluid concept. You may have heard the term “fundamental movement skills” (FMS). FMS are basic movements associated with physical activity. Your knowledge of them is a measure of your physical competencies. The most common fundamental movement skills include balance, running, jumping, throwing, catching, skipping, and hopping. Fundamental movement skills can be combined into progressions. This results in complex movements like swimming. Almost every skill seen in sports links back to one or more FMS.
There are many debatable movements listed as fundamental. Though swimming is on some lists of fundamental movement skills, if you were born in a desert, you might not agree. Balance, on the other hand, is key for many movements and is fundamental. Falls are the second leading cause of injury causing deaths worldwide. Each year an estimated 684,000 people die from falls (World Health Organization, 2021). In Canada, many falls are due to icy conditions. Having ‘good balance’ is fundamental to Canadians and necessary for our health and safety. Mastery of FMS contributes to children’s physical, cognitive and social development. It provides the base for an active lifestyle (Lubans 2010). We know physical literacy is important. For many communities the challenge is how to provide opportunities for people to become physically literate.
Play is engaging in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than for a purpose. All mammals play. Which means one can argue that there is a practical purpose for it. Most mammals play more while in their development stages of life. Play helps with the development of many life skills, such as FMS, that helps develop the body and brain and prepare those creatures for life.
Through play, children gain physical abilities that start a domino effect. Play develops confidence in movement, motivation to stay active, and understanding of the value of physical activity. Simply, children who play grow up happier and healthier.
In the 2016 EDI results, Lethbridge scored lower in the area of physical health & well-being than many other cities in Alberta. This affects the overall health of a community. Since the 2016 assessment, we have seen an increase in play programs that encourage learning, practicing, and mastering fundamental movement skills. Many of the organizations that host these programs have adopted the Lethbridge Play Charter.
The Lethbridge Roving Gyms program helps preschool aged children learn fundamental movements in a free and fun setting. At Roving Gyms, children engage in open free play using equipment designed for specific skill building. The equipment promotes movement and the roving locations provide space for families to connect.
The Roving Gyms program began as a pilot program of the Lethbridge Early Years Coalition. The Lethbridge Sport Council (LSC) recognized the value of the program and the role it plays in being active for life. FMS is a precursor to sport. LSC opted to continue the program when it was in danger of ending. Since 2007, the Roving Gyms program has served many families in their journey to get more physically literate. LSC will continue to help provide children the opportunity to develop their skills through Roving Gyms.
For more information about Roving Gyms please visit LethbridgeSportCouncil.ca/programs/roving-gyms
References:
Lubans DR, Morgan PJ, Cliff DP, Barnett LM, Okely AD. Fundamental movement skills in children and adolescents: review of associated health benefits. Sports Med. 2010 Dec 1;40(12):1019-35. doi: 10.2165/11536850-000000000-00000. PMID: 21058749.
WHO statements on Falls: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls
2016 EDI Results: https://ecdcoalitions.org/ecca-101/the-edi-program/