The Movement Matters resource cards have been designed as fun activities which can be used to help children to practice Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS). FMS can be divided into three categories: Locomotor skills which are used to move from one place to another; Body Management Skills which are used to control the body in a variety of situations; and Manipulative skills which involve moving or using an object to complete a task with control.
Look at the table below to see some of the skills that fit into each category.
|
Locomotor
|
Manipulative
|
Body Management
|
|
Walking
|
Throwing
|
Stretching
|
|
Running
|
Catching
|
Bending
|
|
Jumping
|
Striking
|
Stopping
|
|
Hopping
|
Kicking
|
Balancing
|
|
Leaping
|
Dribbling
|
Landing
|
|
Galloping
|
Bouncing
|
Twisting
|
|
Side Stepping
|
Pushing
|
Turning
|
|
Skipping
|
Pulling
|
Rolling
|
|
Dodging
|
Trapping
|
Climbing
|
Animals
Challenge children to move and act like different animals.
FMS – Body Management, Locomotor
Hide ‘animals’ such as teddies, toys or pictures of animals for children to find on their safari.
FMS – Body Management, Locomotor
Try to hit the objects (‘tiger’s teeth’) with the ball.
FMS – Manipulative Skills
Challenge children to keep their ‘egg’ (e.g. ball or beanbag) safe between their knees whilst moving in different ways.
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Help the farmer get the ‘animals’ back in their pens by travelling to retrieve the animals and returning them in different ways.
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Fairytales
Hide objects and pictures underneath ‘lily pads’ for children to find. Challenge children to find two of the same.
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Challenge children to get to the ‘castle’ as quickly as possible using different methods of travel. To make the game more challenging add obstacles for children to navigate or add manipulative skills such as dribbling or bouncing a ball.
FMS – Locomotor (Manipulative and Body Management can be added)
Children must collect the treasure without waking up the ‘dragon’ (adult).
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Children try to free the wizards with a magic spell in this adapted version of tag.
FMS – Locomotor
Call out the name of a bean and everyone does a corresponding action. Why not get creative and come up with new bean names and actions?
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Pirates
Create targets and encourage children to practice their manipulative skills to feed the ‘hungry sharks’ in the target area. Add further challenges by changing the target’s size or its distance.
FMS – Manipulative
Children must try to keep their jewels safe by dodging the thief in this adapted version of tag.
FMS – Locomotor
Children dance and move in the ‘sea’. When the music stops, they must find a safe island.
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Challenge children to use their locomotor and manipulative skills to move everything from the deck before the ship sinks.
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Challenge children to create their own assault course and practice ‘walking the plank’. For an extra challenge, why not try travelling across the plank in other ways?
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Planes, Trains & Cars
Set up one or several targets as garages. Children must move all their ‘vehicles’ safely into their garage/s.
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Children move around the area matching their ‘cars’ to spots of the same colour. For an extra challenge, can they balance on the spot?
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Children must rescue vehicles from the ‘tow truck’ and bring them back to safety whilst avoiding the obstacles. To make the activity more challenging, task children to move the vehicles in different ways (e.g. dribbling, bouncing, rolling).
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management, Manipulative
Set up several items that children must target with a ball or beanbag. Children collect each object they successfully hit to create own ‘plane’.
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Task children to create a runway. Wider and shorter runways will be easier while narrower, longer runways will be more challenging. Runways could even be wide one end and narrow the other. Children move an object from one end to the other, using their manipulative skills to keep it on the runway.
FMS – Manipulative Skills
Seaside
Encourage children to get creative in this mirroring game.
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Task children to build towers and practise their manipulative skills by trying to knock them down.
FMS - Manipulative
Create a ‘busy beach’ by scattering items in the area. Children must navigate around the beach trying to avoid objects.
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Task children to make an ‘ice cream scoop’ by catching an object in an upside-down cone.
FMS – Manipulative
Children try to get to the lighthouse using different ways of travel without being caught by the lighthouse keeper. If the lighthouse keeper turns and shines their light on you, try to stay still or they may catch you!
FMS – Locomotor, Body Management
Space
Children must listen carefully to the commands and practise jumping into the sky like a rocket.
FMS – Body Management
Scatter items around an area as ‘stars’. Task children to move around the area without touching them. For an added challenge, add in a ball as the ‘moon’ so children can practice their manipulative skills such as dribbling or bouncing.
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Task children to match the ‘alien’ to a ‘planet’ of the same colour to send them home safely.
FMS – Locomotor, Manipulative
Children can practise catching from different heights and distances.
FMS – Manipulative
Using balloons or a balloon ball, children must try and stop the moon from falling, using their hands or an object of choice (e.g. tennis racket).
FMS – Manipulative