Fundamental Movement Skills
Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) provide the building blocks for many physical activities, such as playing games, dance, and sport. “Having these skills is an essential part of enjoyable participation and a lifelong interest in an active lifestyle” (Developing FMS Manual, Sport NZ).
Fundamental movement skills are important to the motor development of children’s physical, cognitive, and social growth. There are four categories in which the fundamental skills fit for under-fives: Stability and Balance, Manipulative, Locomotor, and Movement and Body Awareness.
Under Fives
Primary School
Under Fives
Stability and Balance
Stability skills relate to the body’s ability to gain or maintain balance, either when still or moving.
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Manipulative
Manipulative skills are the skills we need for moving balls and objects around.
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Activities to extend the children in specific manipulative skills:
- Throwing and catching
- Overarm Throw
- Catching
- Striking with the Hand
- Striking with the Feet
- Striking with an Implement
Locomotion
Locomotor skills require moving from one location to another e.g. crawling, walking, running, jumping, skipping etc.
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Movement and Body Awareness
Movement and body awareness is the understanding of ‘what my body is like and how I move with it’.
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Other
Crossing the Midline
Crossing the Midline refers to the ability to reach across the middle of the body with the arms and legs crossing over to the opposite side. The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body, and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body.
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Upper Body Development
Gross Motor Skills involve the large muscles of the body. They enable us to be able to walk, kick, sit upright, lift, and throw a ball. Upper body development includes the large muscles of the neck, shoulders, upper arms and upper chest area.
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Movement and Music
Music enhances the development of language and listening skills. It can also be both therapeutic and educational. Music enhances body rhythm which is a prerequisite for skills such as timing (required for crossing the road), mathematical concepts, memory, hand-eye and foot-eye coordination.
Equipment Ideas
Ideal equipment that can be used with young children
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Here are a range of activity ideas for some of the generic equipment.
More activity ideas for specific equipment:
A lot of this equipment can be modified to what you have at home or in your centre already. Places like the $2 shop or Kmart are great as you can find most of this stuff for pretty cheap. Toy libraries are also a fantastic source of equipment.
For some of the other equipment check out Hart Sport or Sports Distributors.
Activity Ideas for at Home
Physical Activity for Early Years
Sport NZ's Active Movement Booklets
Sport NZ's Active Movement Videos
Primary School
Manipulative
- Throwing and Catching
- Overarm Throw
- Catching
- Striking with the Hand
- Striking with the Feet
- Striking with an Implement
Locomotion
Stability and Balance
Environment and Equipment
Games and Activities
This section focuses on different games that incorporate fundamental movement skills, and looking at ways in which they can be modified for different age groups and used to teach a variety of skills.
- Stuck in the Mud
- Everybody's It Tag
- Follow the Leader
- Rats and Rabbits
- Battleships
- Hand Push
- French Cricket
- Grinch Stole Christmas
- Changing gears
Hauora (wellbeing) focused activities
Taha Whānau (Social Wellbeing)
Taha Hinengaro (Mental and Emotional Wellbeing)
Taha Wairua (Spiritual Wellbeing)
Taha Tinana (Physical Wellbeing)
Concept Specific Games
Striking and Fielding Games
Invasion Games
Net and Wall Games
Target Games
Refresher Activities
We often get requests for ideas of short ‘refresher activities’ that can be used to re-energise children between lessons.
So here are some short cross curricula activities that cater towards all levels including under-fives and that link into Fundamental Movement Skill development.
- Litterbox
- Stop and Scribble
- Morning Routine
- Hit the Deck
- Factor it in
- As If
- Memory Lane
- Act it out
- Bear, Mosquito, Salmon
- Pink toe
- Brain Exercises
- Get on that Chair
- Elf Express!
For more ideas on developing fundamental movement skills see Sport NZ's Developing Fundamental Movement Skills manual.
