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By Isaac Leung, Athletic Skills

Hey reader,

In today’s newsletter, we have a piece from Brianne Pearson who is an expert in Youth Development, specifically the early years. She goes through some great insights in fundamental movements and how this can be done in a fun, imaginative way in.

To see more on Brianne, click here!

Also keep an eye out for my podcastTuesday as I speak to another expert in this field! Click here to see older episodes!

When a child shows talent for a particular sport, it’s tempting to narrow their focus. After all, how else would we create the next Kane, Raducanu, or Ennis-Hill? However, research shows that a broader experience across a range of sports and physical activities significantly enhances a child’s physical, psychological, social, and educational development.

This diverse approach should begin in the Early Years. ‘Fundamental Movement Skills’ (FMS) are the basic skills children need to develop in order to participate in physical activity and perform everyday movements.

FMS can be categorised into three sets of skills: locomotor, manipulation, and stability. Let’s take a closer look at each:

• Locomotor skills: running, walking, jumping, skipping, and hopping.

• Manipulation skills: throwing, catching, kicking, and striking (hitting).

• Stability skills: balancing, bending, twisting, and lifting.

Looking at this list, it’s clear these skills are essential for a child’s physical development. But how can they be taught or encouraged? It’s simple: through opportunity, experience, and repeated exposure.

Children naturally love to be active. If you’ve ever met a child under five, you’ll know they seem to have just one speed—fast! Providing opportunities for them to explore their physical abilities is perfect, as they’re usually eager and enthusiastic participants.

FMS can be developed through indoor and outdoor play, with both child-led and adult-led activities. These activities don’t have to be overly complicated. Allowing children to explore climbing frames, run around obstacles, and dance to music all contributes to the recommended 180 minutes of daily physical activity for young children, as outlined by UK guidelines.

If you really want to see the magic happen, incorporating imagination and fun into these activities is key. For example, to develop hand-eye coordination, children are often tasked with manipulating a ball using their hands and feet. While effective, this could be made more engaging by turning the ball into a “sleepy dog” that needs cuddles. Children can name their dog and explore different parts of their body to snuggle it into. This simple, interactive twist immediately makes the activity more accessible and far more engaging!

Our Physical Activity Adventure Pack (PAAP) harnesses the power of imagination to develop children’s gross motor skills through activities like "sleepy dog" and so much more! PAAP is research-based, adaptive, and aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and Development Matters. By tapping into children’s love for movement and creativity, it provides a full year of wonderful and varied activities designed to support their growth and development.

It's worth investing in, and we currently have a £50 discount throughout December, using the code ‘XMAS24’ at checkout. Take a look for yourself: PAAP Physical Activity Adventure Pack - Music + Movement

Need help? Reply to this email and tell me your story...

Speak soon,

Isaac 🙂 

Here is the podcast I did with Brianne and Helen a few months ago.

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