This resource is intended to contribute to the development of the physically literate child. It has been designed to complement the teaching of the Irish Primary School Physical Education (PE) Curriculum and aims to provide a range of tools to support the teacher in teaching fundamental movement skills (FMS) throughout the primary school. These experiences should lead to a physically literate pupil, who has the movement competence, confidence, and understanding to continue participation in physical activity throughout their lives. (Whitehead, 2016)

It is not intended that the development of FMS replaces the Physical Education (PE) lesson. Rather, it is intended that this skill development is integrated into the PE lesson in line with the overall school plan. In this way, the teacher focuses a lens on skill development within a lesson that is based on one of the strands of the PE curriculum. It is suggested that the teacher introduces a maximum of two teaching points per skill during each PE lesson. 

This is an interactive resource comprising a teacher guide, three teacher resource books and supplementary online material. Each book outlines teaching and learning approaches for fifteen FSM.

For more detailed teacher guidance please refer to the 'Teacher Guide' accompanying this online material.

Each teacher resource book outlines teaching and learning approaches for the following fundamental movement skills (FMS):

The activities that are outlined to develop and consolidate these skills are differentiated across the three books. For example, the activities in Book 1 are generally aligned to the infant classes, the activities in Book 2 are generally aligned to the junior/ middle classes, the activities in Book 3 are generally aligned to middle/ senior classes.

It is important to teach a balanced range of locomotor, stability and manipulative skills across the year.

Schools should select the number of skills for development in any given year, in accordance with pupils' needs and aligned with the school plan.

Within each skill the teacher will be provided with:

In recording their learning in a PE journal, pupils can reflect on and consolidate their learning, in addition to documenting their physical literacy journey.

The following icons are used in the activity descriptions to outline opportunities for linkage across PE strands.