Movement education teaches children essential motor skills through activities that develop locomotion, object control, and stability. This approach builds children's confidence and competence in movement, encouraging physical activity and sport participation. Movement education also enhances cognitive, social, and physical development by strengthening decision making, spatial recognition, vocabulary, and problem solving. The skills gained through movement education help children adapt movements to everyday situations and meet educational outcomes like demonstrating basic compositional skills.
2. WHAT IS MOVEMENT EDUCATION?
• Movement education is a framework which provides children with the
required knowledge to develop essential motor skills which can be
implemented in all aspects of movement. (Weiller Abels, 2010)
• The idea is that children are taught not only the potential of their bodies, but
also the limitations based on the individual. Through movement education,
students are able to experience personal growth, as well as further develop
basic and advanced skills.
3. • The skills attained through movement education are the building blocks for the
development of unique movement sequences which are essential for future
involvement in physical activity and leading an active lifestyle. (Lubans et al,
2010)
• Specific skill categories taught include locomotor (e.g. Running), object control
(e.g. throwing and catching) and stability (e.g. balancing). (Lubans et al, 2010)
4. STRENGTHS AS A TEACHING APPROACH
• It can be said that children are more willing to become engaged in an activity if
they know that they are capable of performing the required movements
involved. By being competent in a range of movement skills, students will
develop the confidence to participate in physical activities and sports during their
leisure time. This is further justified by (Wrotniak et al, 2006), who states that
children who possess better movement and motor skills are more likely to
actively engage in physical activity and sports compared to those who have lesser
developed skills.
5. • Another strength this program has as a teaching approach is highlighted by
(Lubans et al, 2010), who believes that the attainment of movement skills at a
young age has been accredited to the progress of physical, cognitive and social
development. This means that not only do movement skills develop the child
physically, but it also has cognitive and social benefits. Cognitively, it strengthens
the child's decision making process, in which they gain an understanding of
which movements are required for each activity ,as well as spacial recognition.
Social benefits include the development of the child’s vocabulary and bodily
language. They will be able to increasingly express themselves through
movements and skills acquired during the learning phase.
6. • Movement education can also provide students with the knowledge that every
day activities can be made easier and more efficient through the use of these
newly developed skills. This once again helps with the child’s problem solving and
decision making skills as they choose and adapt motor skills to every day
situations.
• By teaching movement education, it allows the students to fulfil the outcome
MOS1.4, which is described as ‘Demonstrates maturing performances of basic
movement and compositional skills in a variety of predictable situations’.
(BOSTES, 2007)
7. REFERENCE LIST
Weiller Abels, K. (2010). Teaching movement education. Human Kinetics.
Lubans, D. R., Morgan, P. J., Cliff, D. P., Barnett, L. M., & Okely, A. D. (2010). Fundamental
movement skills in children and adolescents. Journal of sports medicine.
Wrotniak, B. H., Epstein, L. H., Dorn, J. M., Jones, K. E., & Kondilis, V. A. (2006). The relationship
between motor proficiency and physical activity in children. Pediatrics.
Board of Studies, NSW. (2007). Personal development, health and physical education K-6:
Syllabus. Sydney, Australia: Author.