ARTICLE 021
Physical Literacy - A Short Course In Movement
Location: 2x CON, UTAS LAUNCESTON, TAS
Image Credit: NUDE DESIGN STUDIO
This edition, we’re running through the ins and outs of 'physical literacy' 🏃♀️ If you haven't heard of the term or want to know how it can benefit your students, read on!
It all starts here 👇
Coined by philosopher and educator Margaret Whitehead, ‘physical literacy’ is "when kids have developed the skills, confidence, and love of movement to be physically active for life". Basically, it's the foundation of our ability to complete and enjoy movement from the moment we start reaching for things through to our development of complex movement skills - and what we learn and develop then lasts a lifetime.
Whitehead believes instead of aiming to build athletes we should mark progress along each individual journey - so children and young people can build the confidence to lead an actively embodied life no matter their abilities, physique or whether they like (or are good at) sports.
At POPP, we wholeheartedly believe in this approach (we know and promote that table tennis is a game the ‘sporty and not-so-sporty’ can play equally). For the school-age bracket - fun, unstructured play, fundamental movement skills and later more complex skills, are at the heart of developing physical literacy.
Coined by philosopher and educator Margaret Whitehead, ‘physical literacy’ is "when kids have developed the skills, confidence, and love of movement to be physically active for life". Basically, it's the foundation of our ability to complete and enjoy movement from the moment we start reaching for things through to our development of complex movement skills - and what we learn and develop then lasts a lifetime.
Whitehead believes instead of aiming to build athletes we should mark progress along each individual journey - so children and young people can build the confidence to lead an actively embodied life no matter their abilities, physique or whether they like (or are good at) sports.
At POPP, we wholeheartedly believe in this approach (we know and promote that table tennis is a game the ‘sporty and not-so-sporty’ can play equally). For the school-age bracket - fun, unstructured play, fundamental movement skills and later more complex skills, are at the heart of developing physical literacy.
So, how is physical literacy developed?
It’s a simple equation…
These ingredients work in a circle, feeding the other at each opportunity for movement. Every time a child reaches for a toy or crawls or throws a ball and receives feedback (eg., "Good job!" or not falling down), their skills build, this in turn feeds their confidence, and both of these factors foster a love of movement. This love of movement then boosts a child's motivation to further build their skills and confidence, a process that continues throughout their life.
Of course, this works equally well for the school-aged child that is catching a baseball, climbing a tree, shooting hoops or rallying at table tennis. The key is to provide opportunities for movement everyday (especially outdoors). It is also best developed through unstructured play where kids make the rules and adults are just around to keep them safe.
A lot of this info is covered in Active for Life - an organisation pretty much dedicated to physical literacy. Check out their website for more information and specific activities for developing physical literacy.
It’s a simple equation…
Skills + Confidence + Love of Movement = Physical Literacy
These ingredients work in a circle, feeding the other at each opportunity for movement. Every time a child reaches for a toy or crawls or throws a ball and receives feedback (eg., "Good job!" or not falling down), their skills build, this in turn feeds their confidence, and both of these factors foster a love of movement. This love of movement then boosts a child's motivation to further build their skills and confidence, a process that continues throughout their life.
Of course, this works equally well for the school-aged child that is catching a baseball, climbing a tree, shooting hoops or rallying at table tennis. The key is to provide opportunities for movement everyday (especially outdoors). It is also best developed through unstructured play where kids make the rules and adults are just around to keep them safe.
A lot of this info is covered in Active for Life - an organisation pretty much dedicated to physical literacy. Check out their website for more information and specific activities for developing physical literacy.
And what about the brain?
A study exploring the impact of active play and physical literacy programming for young children in childcare settings revealed the following benefits:
Read more about the brain building benefits of physical literacy here - we hope you can help build more physically literate students and if that means through table tennis, please send us an email! [email protected]
A study exploring the impact of active play and physical literacy programming for young children in childcare settings revealed the following benefits:
- Encouraging active play led educators to feel more engaged and connected to the children
- Both educators and children felt calmer and more productive and experienced more days filled with joy and laughter
- Physical literacy benefitted all four key areas of development (cognitive, physical, social, and emotional)
- Executive function improved (attention, planning, juggling tasks, remembering instructions) and emotional regulation
- Children are given opportunities to test their boundaries and readjust where necessary, thus building coping strategies and resilience
- They also demonstrated increased confidence and competence in moving actively
Read more about the brain building benefits of physical literacy here - we hope you can help build more physically literate students and if that means through table tennis, please send us an email! [email protected]