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FOREWORD
The purpose of this resource is to provide teachers and assistants with support
in planning, teaching and assessing Physical Development in the Foundation
Stage. It incorporates the development of childrens Fundamental Movement
Skills (FMS). The resource emphasises the importance of connecting childrens
learning and provides examples of how to connect learning across a range of
contexts.

A sample of six Fundamental Movement Skills has been selected. Teachers may
wish to develop their own planning using other FMS relevant to the needs and
interests of their class.

Partnership with the home and local community should be encouraged. By

talking to parents about the skills to be developed and by sending home some
practical activities, parents can help support a childs learning.

The FMS Resource and professional learning programme was produced by

Steps Professional Development for the Department of Education and Training,
Western Australia.

The programme has been very successfully piloted and evaluated by CCEA, in
conjunction with the five Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland. Five
primary schools piloted the programme and a large number of primary school
teachers (approximately 400 to date) have completed the teacher professional
development course.

This resource supports and complements the FMS professional development

training programme. The FMS programme and principles underpin many
aspects of Physical Development/Physical Education within the Northern Ireland
Curriculum.

Alison Thompson
Principal Officer
CCEA

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CONTENTS
page
Physical Development within the Northern Ireland Curriculum 1
Rationale and Principles 2
Why teach FMS? 3
How should FMS be delivered? 4
Outline of Unit Format 5
Progression within FMS 6
Making Physical Education Inclusive 8
Safety Implications 9
The STEP framework 10
Suggested Resources 12
Acknowledgements 14

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE

NORTHERN IRELAND CURRICULUM
Physical Development/Physical Education is one of the six Learning Areas within
the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

Children enter primary school having had a range of movement experiences

in the home, pre-school setting and the local community. They will have
experienced control, coordination and manipulation of their body, using a range
of equipment and will have some awareness of space.

Physical Development is about experiencing and developing a range of

fundamental movement skills that will improve co-ordination, locomotion,
control, balance, and manipulation.

In addition, physical development helps children gain confidence and self-

esteem. Through taking part in physical activities, children should begin to
develop an understanding of safe practices, the relationship between physical
activity and good health in everyday life and the importance of changing for
physical activities.

They should develop social skills such as turn-taking, sharing, co-operating and
negotiating, and values such as trust, fairness and respect for others.

Children should have opportunities to take part in daily physical activities, either
indoors or outdoors. These activities should comprise physical play and regular
and frequent planned sessions of physical education.

Play situations provide ideal opportunities for children to create their own
movement sequences and simple games. During these activities, children make
decisions, refine performance and improve their movement skills.

The development of the fundamental movement skills needs to be nurtured, not

only because they are important for the childs long-term health and well-being,
but also because they support the childs physical development.

Teachers should observe and assess childrens development and use the
information gathered to plan future learning experiences that promote the
development and consolidation of the fundamental movement skills.

The statutory requirements for Physical Development in the Foundation Stage

and Physical Education at Key Stage 1 and 2 can be located on the CCEA website:
www.ccea.org.uk

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RATIONALE AND PRINCIPLES

What are Fundamental Movement Skills?

FMS are movement patterns that involve different body parts such as the legs,
arms, trunk and head, and include such skills as running, hopping, catching,
throwing, striking and balancing. They are the foundation movements necessary
for 38-year-old children as a precursor to the more specialised, complex skills
used in play, games, sports, dance, gymnastics, outdoor education and physical
recreation activities.

Ref: FMS Teacher Resource, Education Dept., Western Australia 2004.

Early childhood is the optimal time to teach and learn fundamental movement
skills. During this period young children are motivated and keen to
master ways of moving, controlling their bodies and coordinating their
movements.

THERE ARE 22 FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS.

THEY ARE DIVIDED INTO 3 CATEGORIES:

BODY MANAGEMENT LOCOMOTOR OBJECT CONTROL

Balance Continuous leap Catch
Climb Dodge Chest pass
Forward roll Gallop Foot dribble
Line walk Hop Hand dribble
Jump for distance Kick
Jump for height Overarm throw
Side gallop Underarm throw
Skip Punt
Sprint run Two-handed strike

Ref: FMS Teacher Resource, Education Dept., Western Australia 2004.

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WHY TEACH FMS?

Research reveals that children attribute low motor skills as a major barrier to
participation in physical activity and drop out from organised sport because
they can not perform the skills well enough to play the game successfully.

Physical activity provides health benefits for children, including:

Providing important protection from developing coronary heart disease;
A longer life with better managed weight, lower blood pressure and healthier
cholesterol levels;
Healthy growth and development of the cardio respiratory system as well as
bones and muscles; and
Mental and social health benefits including feelings of confidence, happiness
and relaxation as well as an ability to sleep better.

Children who develop confidence with their FMS skills may enjoy many benefits.
Those who have a positive attitude to physical activity may have higher self-
esteem, improved health and well being, good social skills, are more willing to
take risks and are also more likely to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

Research reveals that children with low motor skills can be at risk of reduced
self-esteem and choose to avoid physical activity. This may lead to compromised
muscle and bone density, reduced fitness and fewer opportunities for social
development.

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HOW SHOULD FMS BE DELIVERED?

For young children, different aspects of the school day offers opportunities
to develop and use their fundamental movement skills. Structured Physical
Education lessons, along with other planned and incidental experiences and
routines of the day, should provide a range of rich contexts for children to
explore, develop and refine their fundamental movement skills.

While each year group should experience and explore a large number of FMS,
it is important that each year focuses on specifically teaching and assessing
a small number of skills. This progression of learning, teaching and assessing
the range of skills should be mapped throughout Foundation Stage and Key
Stage 1 and used as a guide for teachers planning. It is essential that each teacher
and school plans and delivers relevant learning and teaching experiences that
supports the needs of children within their own class/school.

FMS can and should be reinforced through:

Teacher led activities;
Child led activities;
Learning through play, including outdoor play;
Playground activities;
Home-link activities; and
Community links.

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OUTLINE OF UNIT FORMAT

There are six units within the resource pack, each one focusing on one
particular FMS:
Balance;
Catch;
Hop;
Jump for Distance;
Jump for Height; and
Sprint Run.

Each unit follows a similar format. The overview leaflet provides:

A general overview of the focused skill;
The details of statutory requirements Key Experiences and Progress in
Learning covered within the unit;
Ideas for connecting learning across a range of contexts;
Self-evaluation information to share with the children; and
Some key vocabulary.

Each unit also provides:

A sample PE unit of work;
A cue card, providing teaching points when teaching the skill;
Additional Activities - teacher and child led learning experiences;
Rhymes and Action Songs; and
Home Learning Links.

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 Progression within
Fundamental Movement Skills

The FMS sequence detailed below provides suggestions on the order Generally, skills such as the forward roll and dribble are more difficult
of which to teach the range of FMS. There are three categories, as than the skills of running and balancing.
developed by the Western Australian model and adopted within
Northern Ireland. They are: body management, locomotor and By the end of year 4, all children should have been provided with
object control. opportunities to develop the range of FMS skills.

Please note that this is only a sample as used by one of the pilot schools The sequence below is colour coded to give guidance on those skills
and remember that all schools and classes are different. The range of that children should experience, be taught and are continuing to
FMS skills are not necessarily developed or acquired in the sequence. develop further:
This particular school has a nursery school and this has been taken into
account when planning and providing opportunities.

Blue... Experience
Red... Teaching
Green... Continuing

Exemplar Fundamental Movement Skills Teaching Sequence

From Seagoe Primary School, Portadown
 NURSERY YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4

Balance on 1 foot Balance on 1 foot Balance on 1 Foot Balance on 1 Foot Balance on 1 Foot
BODY Side Roll Side Roll Side Roll Forward Roll
MANAGEMENT
Climb Climb Climb Climb Climb
SKILLS
Line Walk Line Walk Bench Walk Bench Walk Bench Walk

Underarm Roll Underarm Throw Underarm Throw Underarm Throw Underarm Throw
Overarm Throw Overarm Throw Overarm Throw Overarm Throw Overarm Throw
Catch large ball Catch large ball Catch medium ball Catch Small Ball Catch Small Ball
OBJECT 2 Handed Strike 2 Handed Strike 2 Handed Strike 1 Handed Strike
CONTROL Foot Dribble Foot Dribble Foot Dribble Foot Dribble
SKILLS Kick Kick Kick Kick
Hand Dribble
Chest Pass
Punt

Sprint Run Sprint Run Sprint Run Sprint Run Sprint Run
Skip Skip Skip Skip Skip
Hop Hop Hop Hop Hop
Gallop Gallop Gallop Gallop Gallop
LOCOMOTOR Side Gallop Side Gallop Side Gallop Side Gallop Side Gallop
SKILLS
Jump for Height Jump for Height Jump for Height Jump for Height Jump for Height
Jump for Distance Jump for Distance Jump for Distance
Dodge Dodge
Leap (continuous)

DEVELOPING FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS FOUNDATION STAGE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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Making Physical Education Inclusive for

Children with Special Educational Needs
It is important not to make generalisations about the physical ability of children
with special educational needs as each individual child will require different
considerations and have different capabilities. In the context of physical activity,
the following points may be useful.

Do not underestimate the intelligence or ability of children with special

educational needs.
Talk with them, and involve their parents, carers, the special educational
needs co-ordinator and others to establish what they can do and what their
needs are.
Explore ways of including rather than reasons for not including. Allow the
children to work together on adapting activities.
Enable children with special educational needs to succeed and enjoy the
activity.
It may be appropriate for some children to work on a different activity. Discuss
this openly with the class.
Some activities are made up of various skills. If the child does not have all
the skills, start from what they can do and build from there.

Children who have other physical or sensory impairments or learning difficulties

should be encouraged as much as possible to maximise their movement potential
by fully developing their abilities.

TOPS cards from the Youth Sport Trust

provide suggestions and illustrations
for alternative or adapted forms of the
activities to give appropriate access to
all children.

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Safety Implications

The following are specifically in relation to inclusive activities:

All participants need to be careful and aware when a wheelchair user is

included in activities. Lines of vision may differ and additional space within
the area will usually be required.

Some of the activities may require the use of wheelchair user or ambulant
only zones in order that everyone can participate together in safety.

Some children will be more vulnerable to physical contact. This can be due to
variations in mobility, balance and reaction time.

Consider the safety of children who have a sensory impairment. Will they see/
hear the fire alarm?

Allow children who have a visual impairment to feel and handle any equipment.
They should also have time to experience the layout of the room.

Some children may have medical needs that affect their participation in
physical activity, eg, tolerance can vary from individual to individual. Some
may need regular breaks whereas others may need to take medication before
exercise, eg, inhalers.

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THE STEP FRAMEWORK

All PE lessons will include children with a wide range of abilities. Some may be
very skilful and will need to be challenged with harder activities. Others will
be less able and will need simpler activities or skills broken down into their
component parts.

The STEP framework offers a format to help adapt activities so that all children
can achieve success and have fun.

You may wish to consider this framework when planning your lessons and
activities.

STEP
stands for:
How can I change?

Where the activity is happening?

E.g. Modify the space by increasing or
Space decreasing the area in which a task is to be
performed or the distance over which a task is
to be performed.

What is happening?
E.g. Modify the task by changing the demands,
the rules of the activity, the number of times
Task the child is to repeat the task, teaching cues,
direction/level/pathway of movement or length
of time to complete the task.

What is being used?

E.g. Modify the equipment by changing the size
Equipment of the target, size of the equipment, number of
pieces of equipment, height of the equipment
or the arrangement of the equipment.

Who is involved?
E.g. Modify the people involved by having
People children work alone, with a partner, as a leader
or follower, or in a small group.

Ref: TOP PLAY resource

from the Youth Sport Trust

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Practical ideas to support delivery using the

STEP approach: Including all children

Jumping:
Feet positions can be marked over
the jumps to show the children
where to take off and land
Use canes or ropes on the ground.
Encourage wheelchair users to
raise front wheel to get over
Practise jumps slowly and
progressively; hold balance on one
leg, up one foot, hop vertically,
hop/jump forward.

Travelling:
Limit/increase the space in which
to work
Walk, crawl or propel a wheelchair
or walking frame
Use visual cues (flags, arrows) to
mark where to run and stop
Use verbal cues to help visually
impaired children
Run, hop, skip with a partner.

Throwing and Catching:

Children can be seated, use a
throwing frame or be supported in
order to throw or catch
Throw small balls/soft balls/
scarves and other equipment that
will be easy to throw
A large ball may be easier to catch
for some children
Children with mobility or
coordination difficulties can begin
seated or be static when practising
skills
Attach a ball/Balzac balloon to
a piece of rope/string for easier
control.

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SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Books
Action Kids A teaching manual and library of physical development
activities, 1999, Val Sabin Publications.
Fundamental Movement Skills Teacher Resource (Kit), Western Australia
Minister for Education, 2004 (available from Steps PD, UK).
Helping Young Children with a Steady Beat, Ross Bayley and Lynn
Broadbent
Learning Outdoors in the Early Years, NI Early Years Interboard Panel.
Macmillan Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Poems, Anna Currey.
Outdoor Play in the Early Years, Helen Bilton.
Singing Games and Rhymes for Early Years, National Youth Choir of
Scotland.
The Teeny Weeny Tadpole, Sheridan Cain & Jack Tickle.
TOP PLAY and TOP ATHLETICS resource, Youth Sport Trust.

Equipment

balance boards/stilts hoops mats (individual and large)

balloons/balzac balloons plastic hurdles/canes/jumping rods
bats short and long handled playground markings and equipment
beanbags play boxes, eg a windy day box
benches/balancing beams with streamers, kites, windchimes,
catch net pinwheels, flags
coloured bands for team activities quoits
coloured spots range of sizes and shapes of balls
chalk sequencing spots
cones scooters
dome markers skipping ropes
feet and hand shapes trestles (low and medium height)

N.B. This is only a suggested list.

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Stories, Action Songs and Rhymes

Many of the action songs and rhymes listed below can be found in the books:
Singing Games and Rhymes for Early Years, Macmillan Treasury of Nursery
Rhymes and in Helping Young Children with a Steady Beat.

Jumping: Hopping:
Baby Kangaroo A Puppet said to Me
During the Week Can you hop on one leg?
Five Little Peas Five Little Monkeys
Five Little Speckled Frogs Hop Around on One Leg
Hopping Rhyme
Froggie, Froggie
Obadiah
Hey Diddle Diddle
On a Log
Humpty Dumpty
One Potato, Two Potatoes
Im a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow
The Kangaroo
Jack in the Box
Jumping
Pop goes the Weasel Balancing:
The Frog in the Pond A Puppet said to Me
The Kangaroo Can you balance on one foot?
Hokey Hokey
Im a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow
Catching: Im a Little Teapot
Bounce High, Bounce Low Im a Stork
Cherry Pie Jelly on a Plate
Five Little Monkeys Mr Magnolia
Mr Jelly
Five Little Peas
See-saw Margery Daw
I Got the Ball
The Tin Soldier
Move Your Body
1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish
Alive
Running:
10 Little Fingers
Hickory Dickory Dock
The Princess and the Frog
I Went to School One Morning
The Gingerbread Man Peter plays with One Hammer
The Gingerbread Man
The Big Pancake
Three Little Pigs
The Grand Old Duke of York
Wee Willie Winkie
Were Going on a Bear Hunt

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Much of this resource was developed from materials and activities used by the
schools involved in the FMS pilot. During the pilot stage, the teachers felt that it
would be valuable to share their experiences with other teachers.

CCEA would like to sincerely thank all those involved in developing the resource
and in providing training to many other schools.

The principals, staff and in particular the trained FMS facilitators within the pilot
schools:

Alison Dougherty Lisnagelvin PS, Londonderry

Janet Cartwright Loughview Integrated PS, Belfast
Sharon Lamont Millburn PS, Coleraine
Alison Lennon Seagoe PS, Portadown
Diane Lee Seaview PS, Belfast

CCEA also wishes to thank the Education and Library Board Officers for their time
and efforts in all aspects of the FMS pilot work:

Libby Mailey NEELB

Iris Scarlett SELB
Hilary McLean SELB
Debbie Trainor SEELB
Neil McGivern SEELB
Elaine Beggs WELB (now principal Newtonstewart Model PS, Omagh)

STEPS Professional Development, in particular Sue Dean, Steps PD,

UK and Philippa Lynch, from the Edith Cowan University, Perth,
Western Australia for their support in introducing the FMS training
and support package to Northern Ireland.

The Youth Sport Trust, for their support during the pilot and their
permission to use the TOPS resource cards. In particular, CCEA
acknowledges the continued support from Mr Paul Whitten, Youth
Sport Trust, National Development Officer for Northern Ireland.

A special thank you to Loughview Integrated Primary School and Seagoe

Primary School for permitting a range of photographs to be used within the
resource.

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