Introduction
Imagine, for a moment, that students only knew the alphabet from A to M.
Or imagine that students only knew how to sing C-D-E-F on the C-major scale.
Or that students only knew how to recognize the numbers 0 to 5.
The result would be a group of students who could not read, could not sing, or who could not add at a level that would help them be confident, competent and creative members of society.
Now imagine a group of students who could jump, but not land; throw, but not catch; walk, but not run. The result is the same. You would end up with a group of students who lack the confidence, competence and creativity to lead healthy, active lives.
Now imagine a student who can move with competence in a wide variety of physical activities that benefit their physical, social, and cognitive development.
Imagine a student who is constantly developing the motivation and ability to understand, communicate, apply, and analyze different forms of movement.
Imagine a student who is able to demonstrate different movements confidently, competently, creatively and strategically across a wide range of physical activities.
Imagine a student who then uses these skills to make healthy, active choices that are both beneficial to and respectful of their whole self, others, and their environment. Such a student is said to be physically literate.
A Quality Daily Physical Education (QDPE) program offers children and youth withinCanada the best opportunity to foster the development of physical literacy. Moreover, a QDPE program equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop positive attitudes toward physical activity, while affording them the opportunity to develop, enhance, and practice the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to be physically literate for life.
The Canadian Olympic Movement Skill resource complements the life stories of some of Canada’s most accomplished Olympians. It highlights that not only did they become successful because of their tremendous physical talents, but they did so with character and intelligence. Our Olympians developed their physical skills over time by learning to balance, walk, run, jump, skip and throw with proficiency before using these fundamental skills as a springboard for complex movements. Now they jump and spin while wearing a pair of skates, or throw a curling rock with enough force to reach the button, or balance on a bicycle seat while travelling at 30 km/hour around a tight corner.
Teachers play a critical role in the healthy development of our children and youth. We hope you are inspired by the life stories of our Olympians and hope you find them useful in reaching curriculum expectations in your classroom and gymnasium. More importantly, however, we hope that they help to inspire your students to develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes they need to become physically literate.