For educators: fundamental movement skills
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are the building blocks for more complex and specialised skills that children will need throughout their lives to competently participate in different games, sports and recreational activities.
This page is part of the Kids at Play Active Play program.
About fundamental movement skills
Categories of fundamental movement skills
Fundamental movement skills categories include:
- Balance skills – movements where the body remains in place, but moves around its horizontal and vertical axes.
- Locomotor skills – running, jumping, hopping, and galloping
- Ball skills – catching, throwing, kicking, underarm roll and striking.
Teaching fundamental movement skills
Kids at Play Active Play focuses on 12 different fundamental movement skills suited to children from the age of 3.
If you're after ideas on how to teach these 12 skills, check out the following videos in the playlist below.
To further increase your knowledge of fundamental movement skills and active play you can complete the free Kids at Play Active Play online professional learning course.
Skill development by age
Although it is recommended to start teaching these fundamental movement skills (FMS) to children aged 3 years old and up, there are activities which can be introduced to younger children to prepare their balance, body awareness and strength required for these FMS.
| FMS | Appropriate skill |
|---|---|
| Jumping |
1 to 2 years – walking over soft mats, bouncing, dancing to music, jumping off low step with hands held. 2 to 5 years – jumping with two feet. Jumping skill develops from 1.5 to 2 years of age. Jumping forward develops by 3 years of age. If children are not jumping by 3 years of age, this is a red flag for their development. |
| Running |
1 to 3 years – walking up and down slopes, walking quickly and copy a marching pattern. 3 to 5 years – running with coordinated arm and leg movements. Running skill develops from 18 months of age and coordinated running skill develops at 3 years of age. |
| Kicking |
1 to 3 years – kicking a ball in front of them - walking into a ball, kicking a ball towards skittles. 3 to 5 years – kicking a stationary ball at a target. Once a child can kick a stationary ball from standing, they can progress to running up to a stationary ball and kicking it forward. Kicking a moving ball develops from 5 to 6 years of age. |
| Catching |
1 to 2 years – making contact with a rolling ball on the ground or tapping balloons in the air with hands. 2 to 3 years – catching a ball with hands and arms or trapping a ball against their trunk. 4 to 5 years – catching a ball with hands only. You can use balloons, scarves or rolled socks instead of balls to help with leaning how to catch. Larger balls are easier for younger children to catch and balls with a textured surface can be easier to grip. Smaller balls, such as tennis balls are more suitable for 5 to 6-year-olds. |
| Side sliding |
1 to 3 years – Side stepping to move around obstacles and cruising around furniture. 3 to 5 years – Side sliding with feet facing forward. |
| Galloping |
1 to 3 years – running, marching and stomping. 3 to 5 years – galloping. Galloping is developed before the skill of skipping. Skipping is developed from 5 to 6 years of age. |
| Overarm throwing |
1 to 3 years – throwing a ball over head with two or one hand from standing or sitting, throwing balls or bean bags into buckets or hoops. 3 to 5 years – overarm throwing using a coordinated movement of the throwing arm and opposite leg stepping forward. |
| Hopping |
1 to 3 years – stepping over hurdles, stepping up and down a single step, stepping in and out of a box, walking on uneven surfaces such as foam mat, grass and sand. 3.5 to 5 years – hopping on the spot or forward. Hopping skill develops at 3.5 years of age. They will be more proficient on their dominant foot till 6 years of age. By 5 years of age they should be able to hop 10 times in a row on their dominant foot. |
| Leaping |
1.5 to 3 years – stepping over obstacles or hurdles, walking across stepping stones. 3 to 5 years – leaping |
| Striking a stationary ball |
1 to 2 years – pulling and pushing a toy around. 2 to 3 years – striking or pushing a ball on the ground with a bat. 3 to 5 years – striking a stationary ball with hands correctly placed on bat and feet facing ball. |
| Stationary dribbling |
1 to 2 years – throw balls into containers on the ground. 2 to 3 years – bounce and catch a ball with two hands, bounce a balloon on a string. 4 to 5 years – stationary dribbling. |
Under 1 year of age
Tummy time play and crawling over obstacles will help to develop core strength, upper limb strength and control required for ball skills and fine motor skills for babies under one.
Opportunities to practise pulling to stand and cruising will help to develop lower limb strength for locomotor skills.
You can read more about age-appropriate development at the ACT Community Services Child Development Service.