Introducing Fundamental Movement Skills

The early years are an important time for children to learn how to move. Experts agree that young children need daily physical activity (both free play and structured) to be healthy. Toddlers and preschool children need to learn to be active through the fundamental movement skills: balancing, locomotion and coordination.  

It is important to learn how to run, jump, balance, catch and throw because they are the building blocks we need to be active for the rest of our lives.

Balancing (or stabilizing) means to hold a position without falling (such as standing on one foot). This helps to develop body control.

Locomotion (or locomotor) gets children from one place to another. Try moving in different ways like galloping, walking, running, skipping, crawling, marching, gliding, sliding, leaping, jumping or hopping. This helps preschoolers learn to understand where their body is in space, which develops body awareness.

Coordination (or manipulative), also called hand-eye or foot-eye coordination, uses different ways of moving objects like hitting a balloon with a bat, kicking a ball, throwing a beanbag at an object or catching a scarf. This helps to develop body control and awareness.