Fundamental Movement Skills
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are the basic building blocks of movement that form the foundation for more complex and specialised physical activities. It is important to note that these skills are learnt skills, that develop through exploration and play as well as teaching and learning.
Fundamental Movement Skills are typically categorised into three main groups: locomotor skills, object control (or manipulative) skills, and stability (or balance) skills. .
- Locomotor skills involve moving the body from one place to another and include running, jumping, hopping, skipping, and galloping
- Object control skills involve handling, controlling, or manipulating objects as well as your own body and include skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, striking, or dribbling
- Stability skills focus on maintaining balance and control over the body, including skills like balancing, rolling, twisting, turning, and landing
On the KIDDO website you will find everything you need to support children to develop and master the Fundamental Movement Skills.
KIDDO has developed child friendly teaching cues for each of the Fundamental Movement Skills to support educators and parents to help children develop these essential skills. You can find the teaching cues for each of the skills on the individual skills webpage on the KIDDO website. There is a version for schools, early learning services and families. You can also download KIDDO's teaching cue cards to print out and share.
Using child-friendly and consistent teaching language makes it much easier for children to develop these skills. When parents, educators and teachers all use the same language, children hear the same messages wherever they are learning. The cues are also meaningful and easy for them to remember, they can picture a "motorbike landing" or "making a muscle arm". Even if a child is not yet ready to perform the skill, they can still remember the teaching cues. Then, when they are developmentally ready, those familiar cues help them learn and apply the skill much more easily.
For example when introducing the skill of Jumping:
First we talk about practicing our "motorbike landings" first where our ankles, knees and hips are bent and arms out in front. Try making motorbike noises as we introduce this idea.
Then we try starting with our "arms behind us like a superhero cape";
and then we take-off by "swinging and springing";
If we are doing a vertical jump, we "reach for the starts and bring one down with us".
Within a very short time you will have everyone from 3 year olds to 12 year olds remembering how to do a "motorbike landing" and to "swing and spring"!
