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Foundations for an Active Future
Children master literacy and numeracy by first learning the basics: letters and numbers. Developing physical literacy is no different; kids need to first learn basic movements like running, kicking, and catching so they have the abilities and confidence to engage in a variety of physical activities for life.
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What is Physical Literacy?
Canada's Physical Literacy Consensus Statement defines physical literacy as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and engage in physical activities for life.
The bottom line is that it is easier to participate in a variety of physical activities and sports for life if you are physically literate because you can perform many fundamental movements, like running, throwing, and swimming. These movements can then be applied to different settings and environments. Movement skills are relevant for adults too, but for kids, a lack of these skills may mean kids will withdraw from active games or sports. The graphic below outlines what a child might be missing without certain movement skills. |
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How do I know if my child is developing physical literacy?
Physical literacy is a pretty broad concept, and aspects of it can be monitored with assessment tools designed to be used by physical education teachers, coaches, or physiotherapists. As a parent, you want to consider if your child has the skills, motivation, and confidence to move in a variety of ways in different environments. The following list of fundamental movements from Active for Life should begin to emerge in the early years.
- Swim (comfortable in water)
- Throw and catch a ball
- Strike an object (with a bat, hockey stick, etc.)
- Balance on one leg
- Somersault
If your child can perform most of these skills, he or she is making progress towards physical literacy. If not, your child may just need some more time and attention in certain areas.
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Many successful Canadian athletes didn't specialize in one sport too young. Participating in a variety of sports and activities develops movement skills and confidence that can be transferred from one activity to another. For example, Clara Hughes won Olympic medals in both cycling and speed skating!
Learn more about sport participation in the early years in our Preschool Focus: How Young is Too Young?
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How to Support Physical Literacy Development in the Early Years
- Support and encourage free play in a variety of environments including:
- Water (swim, canoe, snorkel)
- Snow (skate, toboggan, ski)
- Land (run, bike, dance, visit playgrounds)
- Air (jump, gymnastics, diving)
- Motivate your child and help him or her to learn to be confident when playing and moving
- Try new games and activities as often as you can to build confidence in new situations
- Teach your child about the health benefits of being active
- Enroll your child in programs that talk about physical literacy in their programming (check out this list from Sport for Life for ideas)
Remember, physical literacy doesn't just develop from organized sports. Children build skills and gain confidence when engaging in unstructured or free play. Many childhood games also help to develop physical literacy.
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