Fundamental Movement Skills

Fundamental Movement Skills Preparing children for an active and healthy lifestyle Information Booklet

Catch Balance forward roll Overhand throw Skip Strike 2002 Department of Education, Western Australia Copyright protects this publication. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from ECU Resources for Learning. Level 6 Albert Facey House, 469 Wellington Street, Perth, Western Australia, 6000

Fundamental Movement Skills A study in Australia reports children attributing low motor skill level as a major barrier to participation in sport. 1 A Canadian study also reported that many children indicated they dropped out of organized sport because they could not perform the skills well enough to play the game successfully. 2 At just 5 years of age many of Anya s decisions about a healthy and physically active lifestyle are being made for her. Anya wants to play, but lacks the fundamental movement skills to participate confidently. Rather than make her lack of skill noticeable to her peers she hangs back instead of joining in. Physical activity and play experiences lay the foundations for many competencies in the physical and social domains. Children who develop confidence with their fundamental movement skills enjoy many benefits. Those with positive expectations about their ability to participate successfully are more willing to take risks, are popular playmates in the school ground and are also more likely to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Research reveals that children like Anya can be at risk of reduced self esteem and choose to avoid physical activity. This may lead to compromised muscle and bone density, reduced fitness and fewer opportunities for social competence. 1. Booth, M.L., Macaskill, P., McLellan, L., Phongsavan, P., Okely, T., Patterson, J., Wright, J., Bauman, A., and Baur, L. (1997) NSW Schools Fitness and Physical Activity Survey. Sydney: NSW Department of Education And Training. 2. Wankel,L. and Pabich, P. (1981) The minor sport experience: factors contributing to or detracting from enjoyment. In T. Orlick and J.T. Partington and J.H. Samela (EDs), Mental Training For Coaches And Athletes (pp. 70-71) Ottawa, Ontario: Coaching Assoc of Canada

Did you know that children without the fundamental patterns of movements are 3 times more sedentary than skilful children of the same age? 3 According to the World Health Organisation approximately 2 million deaths per year are attributed to physical inactivity. This has led them to issue a warning that a sedentary lifestyle could very well be among the 10 leading causes of death and disability in the world. 4 Benefits of regular physical activity include: Reducing the risk of developing heart disease, (1/3 of global deaths are as a result of heart disease) type II diabetes (which accounts for 90 per cent of all the diabetes cases in the world) colon cancer/breast cancer osteoporosis Helping to control weight and prevent or reduce hypertension (which affects 20 per cent of the adults in the world) Reducing stress levels, anxiety and feelings of depression Enhancing functional capacity, social interaction and independent living in older persons. 2 3 Magill, R., (1993) Motor Learning Concepts and Applications 4th Ed Madison, W1: Brown and Benchmark 4 Press Release WHO/23 4TH April, 2002 Physical Inactivity A Leading Cause Of Disease And Disability, Warns Who http://www.who.int/inf/en/pr-2002-23.html

How can the Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) Resource help? It is important that young children develop positive attitudes towards physical activity when they are young. Positive attitudes towards physical activity can: improve self esteem support the child in the development of social skills improve health and well being increase involvement in lifelong physical activity The Fundamental Movement Skills Resource has been developed in the context of outcomes focused education, with the specific goal of providing all teachers. It has access to quality professional development, support materials, and strategies that will enable them to develop teaching and learning programs that maximise the development of fundamental movement skills in children.

Fundamental Movement Skills Professional Development Research has shown that high quality professional development is a key component in the successful implementation of a new resource. The FMS professional development promotes change in educational practice by providing theory, demonstration, practice, feedback, and support. Improving teacher judgement about fundamental movement skills is vital. The best way to facilitate common understandings between teachers is through professional development. The Fundamental Movement Skills professional development consists of six two hour modules based upon the associated resource. These modules assist teachers to: increase their knowledge of fundamental movement skills; assess children s proficiency in a variety of fundamental movement skills; cater for children with movement difficulties and plan and deliver relevant teaching and learning programs that support each child s development of proficient fundamental movement skills. FMS Modules Module 1: Introduction to FMS Module 2: Balance Your Day Module 3: Run and Jump Right In Module 4: Throw It Out Module 5: Catch Me If You Can Module 6: Putting It All Together

Fundamental Movement Skills Support Materials Fundamental Movement Skills Book One: Learning, Teaching and Assessment Fundamental Movement Skills Book Two: The Tools for Learning, Teaching and Assessment Fundamental Movement Skills Video: Making the Right Moves Information to assist teachers in: Choosing a focus skill Assessing children s level of achievement in the skill Incorporating experiences into their daily program Sharing information about children s learning Developing strategies for helping children with movement difficulties and ways of maximizing participation Document includes: Descriptions and criteria of 22 Fundamental Movement Skills Range of assessment strategies Range of learning experiences Range of formats for sharing information Stay in Step screening test - designed to support teachers identification of children with movement difficulties For each of seven FMS (sprint run, hop, jump for distance, overhand throw, catch, kick, two handed strike) the video shows children performing in a smooth and co-ordinated manner through to children who are yet to master the skill. Using normal, slow motion and freeze frames, the skill is broken down into components to facilitate observation.

The FMS Learning, Teaching and Assessment cycle and links with the resource The following samples are pages from the Fundamental Movement Skills books: Learning, Teaching and Assessment and The Tools for Learning, Teaching and Assessment. These pages are further explained in the FMS Information Session.

Reflection Point What are your school priorities? What are the expectations of families and the community? What are the children s interests, strengths and needs? Children s interests, strengths and needs occur in the context of their family, community and the school. Focuses for learning programs need to develop those interests, build on their strengths and address their needs. You might ascertain possible focuses for your program using one or more of the following strategies: talking to the children about the skills they think they can do and need to be able to do; talking to families and the community about the skills they think are important and are using (and therefore, modeling) in their lives; talking to other teachers about the skills the children need in other areas of their learning; thinking about the skills that might best support focus topics or projects in the overall learning program; and/or considering emphases in the whole school plan that might affect the choice of skill (for example, an approaching school carnival or a preferred school game). Janet The emphases in our school were on academic achievement and physical competition. The school provided a wide range of extra-curricula activities. Some of these, such as music lessons, were scheduled in class time. Coincidentally, many of the fourteen identified students undertook music lessons during physical education time. We also offered a wide range of before and after school physical activity options but the children with poor movement skills were not accessing any of these. The school athletics carnival was a difficult event for many of these children. The highly competitive environment meant that they received little positive recognition for their effort and often showed others how poor their physical skills were. Since physical education was largely about preparing for the athletics carnival, the children avoided the activities even more than usual! We had decided to restructure the carnival for the younger children so that the focus was more on participation than competition. My main area of interest was to develop the children s understanding of the importance of acquiring FMS and to help them practise good health habits, increase their physical activity, and improve their self-esteem and interpersonal skills. 28 Fundamental Movement Skills Reflection Point Which skill or skills Developing proficiency in any FMS can take a long time up to 10 hours of quality teaching will be most (Kelly, 1989). This means that children need opportunities for explicit instruction, practice meaningful and and mastery each day. You should plan, therefore, to observe and teach only 4 or 5 skills relevant for your group each year but to provide opportunities for children to experience a variety of other skills. of children? Which Some skills may remain focuses for a long time, others may be included as different needs learning outcomes and interests emerge. could the children demonstrate through The FMS Sequence in Table 3 provides a suggested order for teaching the skills. Please the focus skill or remember that FMS skills are not necessarily mastered in this sequence. Generally, however, skills? skills such as the forward roll, punt and dribble are more difficult than skills such as balancing or running. By the end of the early childhood phase of development (typically Year 3), children should have been provided with opportunities to develop all of these skills. Once you have gathered information about the children s strengths, needs and interests and chosen the skill or skills, you can identify learning outcomes that will help to focus your p115 planning. Outcomes are not achieved simply by teaching skills. Each learning outcome also p24 includes knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Ensuring children achieve the outcomes means providing opportunities for children to demonstrate each aspect of the outcome. Table 2 and Appendix 3 will support you in identifying particular outcomes and thinking about the aspects of them that can be demonstrated through FMS. Table 3: FMS Sequence Body Management Skills Locomotor Skills Object Control Skills K 3+ Static balance Climb Line walk Run Distance jump Gallop Skip Side roll Hop Swim Underhand throw Overhand throw Bounce and catch Underhand roll Catch large ball Vertical jump Two handed strike Forward roll Side gallop Leap Catch small ball Lofted soccer kick Punt Information needs to be gathered about children s FMS performance in a range of settings, undertaking different kinds of experiences and over time. Some ways you can gather information to assess a child s achievement are provided in Book 2. Tools 1: FMS Skill Descriptions provides you with specific information about observing and teaching a number of FMS, and Tools 2: Assessment Strategies provides you with a range of strategies you may use to assess a child s level of achievement when performing a skill as well as their achievement of other learning outcomes. Fundamental Movement Skills 29 Kicking involves imparting force to an object with the foot. It is used in many ball games and in all the football codes such as soccer, football, and rugby. The skill criteria described here are for a lofted soccer kick, which is the first type of kick to observe and teach as the ball is stationary on the ground. The aim is to kick the ball as high and as far as possible. It mainly involves the legs (not the arms and legs as for the punt) and therefore reduces the complexity of the movement. v Skill Criteria Support leg planted to side of ball Knee of kicking leg bends to 90 degrees Eyes focused on ball Backward body lean Opposite arm to kicking leg swings forward Contact ball with top of foot - a shoelace kick Follow through with kicking leg toward target area Legs Legs Arms Legs Watch the ball Kick with your shoelaces Step, swing through Step and kick ball kick Dodge One handed strike Hand dribble Foot dribble p93 Why Are They Important? The placement of the support leg affects the height the kicked ball will travel. When the support foot is placed too far behind ball, the kicker will tip the ball with the foot. When the support foot is too close to the ball, the kicker will be unable to fully swing back their kicking leg. In both instances the kicker is unable to put force into the kick. Bending the knee shortens the radius of the leg which enables it to move forward with greater speed. The back swing of the kicking leg increases the range of motion. It is an eye-foot skill therefore this action increases the accuracy of the kick. A backward body lean places the hip flexors and knee extensors on stretch enabling these muscles to flex the hip and extend the knee with greater force. It also increases the range of motion through which the leg will move and allows the foot to loft the ball. The arm moves forward in opposition to the kicking leg to provide balance and in reaction to the trunk and leg motion. This action enables greater control of the ball as the top of the foot provides a smoother surface than the toe. A follow through eliminates any tendency to decelerate before completion of movement, maintains balance, and protects joints, muscles, and connective tissue. To maintain control, power and accuracy, the foot stays in contact with the ball as long as possible. Successful Teaching Strategies Beginning Provide a cue for the correct placement of the support leg e.g., the outline of a foot. Stabilise and raise the ball off the ground by placing it on a bean bag or a roll of masking tape. Place a mark on the ball (e.g., letter or shape) and ask the child to focus on that as they approach the ball to kick. Focus on kicking the ball for distance rather than accuracy. Place chalk on the child s shoelaces so that a mark is left on ball after it has been kicked. Use a beach ball, balloon, nerf ball, or a ball that is soft, flat or partially deflated. These balls are softer and will not travel so far. Start by kicking the ball against a wall as less time is wasted retrieving the ball. Identify the child s preferred foot and if necessary mark it with a ribbon or coloured spot. Developing Place an object that is easily knocked over (e.g., foam shape, bowling pin) behind the child s kicking foot to encourage the back swing with the kicking leg. Demonstrate, and practise, running up to kick the ball. p3 Identifying Children s Interests, Strengths and Needs Identify children s interests, strengths and needs. Book One Choose focus skill(s) and identify possible learning outcomes. Book One Choosing the Focus Skill and Identifying Possible Learning Outcomes Assessing each Child s Achievement of FMS 1 2 KICK Assess each child s level of achievement of FMS. Book One Book Two Video About the skill 1 Plan and implement appropriate learning experiences. Book One Book Two 2 3 4 5 6 7 Verbal Cues Formal or informal observational setting Level Consolidating Introduce accuracy by kicking to a partner or target, or into a goal. Challenge the child to kick a ball around opponents or over objects. Practise kicking with either foot. Intervene if you see.. The support leg is placed too close or too far way from the ball. The arm opposite the kicking foot is not used for balance. The ball is contacted with the toe rather than instep. Continue to assess each child s level of achievement of FMS. Book One Book Two KICK Global Follow Preparation Propulsion Check through Head and trunk 6. Contact ball 7. Follow Names or 2. Knee 5. Opposite 1. Support leg 3. Eyes with top of through with kicking leg 4. Backward arm to kicking planted to side focused on foot - a kicking leg bends to body lean leg swings of ball shoelace toward 90 degrees forward target area Observation position To the kicking leg side Instruction Run toward the ball then kick it as high as far as you can Share the information gathered. Book One Book Two

Identify children s interests, strengths and needs. Identifying Children s Interests, Strengths and Needs Reflection Point What are your school priorities? What are the expectations of families and the community? What are the children s interests, strengths and needs? Children s interests, strengths and needs occur in the context of their family, community and the school. Focuses for learning programs need to develop those interests, build on their strengths and address their needs. You might ascertain possible focuses for your program using one or more of the following strategies: talking to the children about the skills they think they can do and need to be able to do; talking to families and the community about the skills they think are important and are using (and therefore, modeling) in their lives; talking to other teachers about the skills the children need in other areas of their learning; thinking about the skills that might best support focus topics or projects in the overall learning program; and/or considering emphases in the whole school plan that might affect the choice of skill (for example, an approaching school carnival or a preferred school game). Janet The emphases in our school were on academic achievement and physical competition. The school provided a wide range of extra-curricula activities. Some of these, such as music lessons, were scheduled in class time. Coincidentally, many of the fourteen identified students undertook music lessons during physical education time. We also offered a wide range of before and after school physical activity options but the children with poor movement skills were not accessing any of these. The school athletics carnival was a difficult event for many of these children. The highly competitive environment meant that they received little positive recognition for their effort and often showed others how poor their physical skills were. Since physical education was largely about preparing for the athletics carnival, the children avoided the activities even more than usual! We had decided to restructure the carnival for the younger children so that the focus was more on participation than competition. My main area of interest was to develop the children s understanding of the importance of acquiring FMS and to help them practise good health habits, increase their physical activity, and improve their self-esteem and interpersonal skills. 28 Fundamental Movement Skills

Choose focus skill(s) and identify possible learning outcomes. Choosing the Focus Skill and Identifying Possible Learning Outcomes Developing proficiency in any FMS can take a long time up to 10 hours of quality teaching (Kelly, 1989). This means that children need opportunities for explicit instruction, practice and mastery each day. You should plan, therefore, to observe and teach only 4 or 5 skills each year but to provide opportunities for children to experience a variety of other skills. Some skills may remain focuses for a long time, others may be included as different needs and interests emerge. The FMS Sequence in Table 3 provides a suggested order for teaching the skills. Please remember that FMS skills are not necessarily mastered in this sequence. Generally, however, skills such as the forward roll, punt and dribble are more difficult than skills such as balancing or running. Reflection Point Which skill or skills will be most meaningful and relevant for your group of children? Which learning outcomes could the children demonstrate through the focus skill or skills? By the end of the early childhood phase of development (typically Year 3), children should have been provided with opportunities to develop all of these skills. Once you have gathered information about the children s strengths, needs and interests and chosen the skill or skills, you can identify learning outcomes that will help to focus your planning. Outcomes are not achieved simply by teaching skills. Each learning outcome also includes knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Ensuring children achieve the outcomes means providing opportunities for children to demonstrate each aspect of the outcome. Table 2 and Appendix 3 will support you in identifying particular outcomes and thinking about the aspects of them that can be demonstrated through FMS. p115 1 p24 Table 3: FMS Sequence K 3+ Body Management Skills Static balance Climb Line walk Side roll Forward roll Locomotor Skills Run Distance jump Gallop Skip Hop Swim Vertical jump Side gallop Leap Dodge Object Control Skills Overhand throw Underhand roll Underhand throw Bounce and catch Catch large ball Two handed strike Catch small ball Lofted soccer kick Punt One handed strike Hand dribble Foot dribble Assessing each Child s Achievement of FMS Information needs to be gathered about children s FMS performance in a range of settings, undertaking different kinds of experiences and over time. Some ways you can gather information to assess a child s achievement are provided in Book 2. Tools 1: FMS Skill Descriptions provides you with specific information about observing and teaching a number of FMS, and Tools 2: Assessment Strategies provides you with a range of strategies you may use to assess a child s level of achievement when performing a skill as well as their achievement of other learning outcomes. p93 2 p3 Fundamental Movement Skills 29

Assess each child s level of achievement of FMS. KICK About the skill Kicking involves imparting force to an object with the foot. It is used in many ball games and in all the football codes such as soccer, football, and rugby. The skill criteria described here are for a lofted soccer kick, which is the first type of kick to observe and teach as the ball is stationary on the ground. The aim is to kick the ball as high and as far as possible. It mainly involves the legs (not the arms and legs as for the punt) and therefore reduces the complexity of the movement. Background information 73

Assess each child s level of achievement 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Skill Criteria Support leg planted to side of ball Knee of kicking leg bends to 90 degrees Eyes focused on ball Backward body lean Opposite arm to kicking leg swings forward Contact ball with top of foot - a shoelace kick Follow through with kicking leg toward target area Why Are They Important? The placement of the support leg affects the height the kicked ball will travel. When the support foot is placed too far behind ball, the kicker will tip the ball with the foot. When the support foot is too close to the ball, the kicker will be unable to fully swing back their kicking leg. In both instances the kicker is unable to put force into the kick. Bending the knee shortens the radius of the leg which enables it to move forward with greater speed. The back swing of the kicking leg increases the range of motion. It is an eye-foot skill therefore this action increases the accuracy of the kick. A backward body lean places the hip flexors and knee extensors on stretch enabling these muscles to flex the hip and extend the knee with greater force. It also increases the range of motion through which the leg will move and allows the foot to loft the ball. The arm moves forward in opposition to the kicking leg to provide balance and in reaction to the trunk and leg motion. This action enables greater control of the ball as the top of the foot provides a smoother surface than the toe. A follow through eliminates any tendency to decelerate before completion of movement, maintains balance, and protects joints, muscles, and connective tissue. To maintain control, power and accuracy, the foot stays in contact with the ball as long as possible. v Verbal Cues Watch the ball Kick with your shoelaces Step, swing through Step and kick Background information what to look for and why. 74

Assess each child s level of achievement KICK Global Check Preparation Propulsion Legs Head and trunk Arms Legs Names or 1. Support leg planted to side of ball 2. Knee kicking leg bends to 90 degrees 3. Eyes focused on ball 4. Backward body lean 5. Opposite arm to kicking leg swings forward 6. Contact ball with top of foot - a shoelace kick Observation position To the kicking leg side Instruction Run toward the ball then kick it as high as far as you can Follow through Legs 7. Follow through with kicking leg toward target area Formal or informal observational setting Level Observation record

Plan and implement appropriate learning experiences. Successful Teaching Strategies Beginning Provide a cue for the correct placement of the support leg e.g., the outline of a foot. Stabilise and raise the ball off the ground by placing it on a bean bag or a roll of masking tape. Place a mark on the ball (e.g., letter or shape) and ask the child to focus on that as they approach the ball to kick. Focus on kicking the ball for distance rather than accuracy. Place chalk on the child s shoelaces so that a mark is left on ball after it has been kicked. Use a beach ball, balloon, nerf ball, or a ball that is soft, flat or partially deflated. These balls are softer and will not travel so far. Start by kicking the ball against a wall as less time is wasted retrieving the ball. Identify the child s preferred foot and if necessary mark it with a ribbon or coloured spot. Developing Place an object that is easily knocked over (e.g., foam shape, bowling pin) behind the child s kicking foot to encourage the back swing with the kicking leg. Demonstrate, and practise, running up to kick the ball. Consolidating Introduce accuracy by kicking to a partner or target, or into a goal. Challenge the child to kick a ball around opponents or over objects. Practise kicking with either foot. Intervene if you see.. The support leg is placed too close or too far way from the ball. The arm opposite the kicking foot is not used for balance. The ball is contacted with the toe rather than instep. 76 Fundamental Movement Skills

For further information regarding professional development options please contact: Sue Dean Steps PD 78 Shrivenham 100 Business Park Majors Road Watchfield, SN6 8TY Tel: 01793 787930 Fax: 01793 787931 Email: sdean@steps-pd.co.uk www.ecurl.com.au Department of Education