- Definition
Movement skills are the basic building blocks of how your child moves their body, like balancing (stability), running (locomotion), and throwing a ball (manipulation). These skills are important for all physical activities and help your child develop good coordination.
Playing catch involves running to the ball (locomotion), stopping (stability), and throwing it back (manipulation).
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Movement skills are like the ABCs of playing — you learn the basic moves so you can play any game you want.
Ask your child: How many different ways can you move across the room?
Common mix-up: Kids might think this just means being good at a sport like soccer. These are actually the basic building blocks, like running, balancing, and throwing, that you need for any game.
Examples
- Running, hopping, and skipping across the playground.
- Balancing on a line drawn on the sidewalk.
- Throwing a beanbag into a bucket.
movement skills is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
- Grade 1 Health and Physical Education
- Grade 2 Health and Physical Education
- Grade 3 Health and Physical Education
- Grade 4 Health and Physical Education
- Grade 5 Health and Physical Education
- Grade 6 Health and Physical Education
- Grade 7 Health and Physical Education
+4 more mentions across the curriculum
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
