Why is this research needed?
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are widely recognised as the building blocks for lifelong participation in physical activity. Skills such as running, jumping, throwing, catching and balancing form the foundation for children’s confidence, competence and motivation to be active.
While assessing children’s movement skills is critical for planning and monitoring development, many established FMS assessment tools are difficult to use in school settings. They often require specialist training, significant time, and complex scoring processes that are not realistic for most teachers.
Researchers from The University of Western Australia and The Kids Research Institute Australia identified the need for a valid, practical and time-efficient FMS assessment tool that could be confidently used by schools to assess children’s movement skills. The KIDDO Fundamental Movement Skill Assessment Tool was based on the existing valid and reliable Stay in Step FMS screening tool and was designed to meet this need. This study aimed to examine whether it provides meaningful and valid information about children’s movement skill proficiency.
The research
Researchers set out to examine whether the KIDDO FMS Assessment Tool provides a valid measure of children’s fundamental movement skill proficiency by comparing it with a widely used, research-based assessment tool.
- 73 children aged 4–8 years from two Western Australian primary schools participated in the study.
- Children completed both the KIDDO FMS Assessment and the Test of Gross Motor Development–2 (TGMD-2), a commonly used process-based FMS assessment.
- The KIDDO FMS Tool assessed five key skills across locomotor, object control and stability domains: running, jumping, kicking, balance, and bounce and catch.
- Scores from both tools were analysed to determine how closely they aligned when assessing children’s overall movement skill proficiency
Key findings
The findings, published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, showed that:
- Overall FMS proficiency scores from the KIDDO FMS Tool had a statistically significant relationship with scores from the TGMD-2.
- Children who scored higher on the TGMD-2 generally also scored higher on the KIDDO FMS Assessment, indicating the tool provides a valid measure of overall movement skill proficiency.
- The KIDDO FMS Assessment successfully assessed skills across locomotor, object control and stability domains, supporting its use as a whole-of-movement assessment tool.
What does this mean?
The findings support the KIDDO FMS Assessment as a valid and fit-for-purpose assessment for use in school settings. Importantly, it provides educators with a practical way to assess fundamental movement skills without the time, training and resource demands associated with traditional assessment tools.
The researchers highlight that rapid, product-based assessments like the KIDDO FMS Assessment can support widespread assessment of movement skills in schools, allowing teachers to:
- Monitor children’s movement development
- Identify students who may benefit from additional support
- Make more informed decisions when planning physical education programs
Since its development, the KIDDO FMS Tool has now been used to complete over 130,000 assessments in schools across Australia, demonstrating both large-scale uptake and growing research support for its use.
Together, this research provides confidence that the KIDDO FMS Tool is a credible, research-informed and classroom-ready solution for assessing fundamental movement skills in primary education