Fundamental movement skills are the locomotor, non-locomotor and balance skills — running, hopping, jumping, twisting, bending, balancing — that every sport and most playground games are built from. They do not develop on their own. They are taught, practiced and refined, and the window for doing that well is kindergarten through grade two.
What to look for
- Can children hold a balance for a count of five, on each foot?
- Do they land a jump with bent knees, quietly?
- Can they make and name a body shape — tall, small, wide, twisted — on request?
If the answer is “some of them”, that is normal, and it is the reason to teach the skills deliberately rather than wait.
How to start
An educational-gymnastics approach works in a classroom, a gym or a program room, with no equipment. The K–2 Fundamental Movement Skills program gives educators clear progressions, and it has a dedicated North American edition with US and Canadian grade terms.
For early-years classes, the story-led activity books — A Butterfly’s Journey, Roll the Dice! — turn body shapes and balances into a game that a four-year-old will ask to play again.
For neurodiverse learners
Movement is often the way in. Empowering Neurodiverse Early Learners Through Movement is a free guide for educators; request it on the Resources page.
The programs were written by a physical-education academic and are used in Australian schools. Ask us about professional development for PE leads.
By the CLNA team. Questions or a program idea of your own? Write to us.