Fundamental Movement Skills Activity Programme
Taiaotea Kindergarten
Overview
Taiaotea Kindergarten Browns Bay approached Harbour
Sport for assistance with their plan to make 2015 a year
to “explore and get active”.
“There has been a
significant increase in
teachers’ practice of
Fundamental
Movement Skills and
there is now a wider
appreciation by
parents of the
importance of these
skills.”
The aims of the programme were to:

Facilitate a greater understanding of, and practice in, the
delivery of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) activities

Equip teachers at Taiaotea Kindergarten with a range of
easy, practical activities that can be delivered in their own
centre

Develop important FMS and confidence in young children
Harbour Sport’s Movement Matters programme was
implemented in Taiaotea Kindy in February 2015.
Name: Debbie Pigou
Phone: 09 415 4644
Fax: 09 415 4594
Email:
[email protected]
SOLUTIONS
All teachers in rotation worked with the Early Childhood Education Advisor to deliver FMS
sessions to 10 children at a time. Each one hour session covered at least 4 activities or
games from the Movement Matters Activity Manual which were designed to help
develop physical literacy in young children. The skills covered over the 20 session
programme included:

Locomotor skills: walk, run, jump, leap

Stability skills: balance, rotation, cycling (balance bikes)

Manipulative skills: throw, catch, strike
Coaching and mentoring was provided throughout the programme. 30-minute debriefs
occurred after each activity session to ensure teachers were able to clarify and refine their
knowledge. They were also asked to deliver a component of several activity sessions to
ensure confidence in delivery of games and activities shown.
IMPACT AND RESULTS
A total of 60 children have been exposed to the structured
FMS activity sessions throughout the year. All 5 teachers
have been upskilled and now engage in daily activities and
games that further develop FMS. Furthermore, the teachers
feel confident to challenge and extend children’s physical
development and purposely set up activities learnt in their
training. These games and activities have been incorporated
into mat time and there is better use of existing equipment
and resources the kindy has at their disposal.
SUMMARY
Head teacher Di says “there has been a really strong confirmation that physical literacy
really does underpin multiple areas of learning” and “it has been useful for the children to
be exposed to the structured approach of physical activity to further develop their looking,
listening and learning skills”.
The Movement Matters programme has brought back previous knowledge and reaffirmed
aspects covered through other professional development. There are several different
options for other centres wishing to increase their awareness and understanding of
physical literacy and the importance of daily physical activity for children’s overall
development.