The Importance Of Physical Literacy

What is the meaning of physical literacy and why do we need it? That is what this article is trying to explain. Physical literacy is just like any other sort of literacy, people aren’t expected to just know it when they are young, they need to be taught how to live a healthy life. The most accepted Canadian definition we have for physical literacy is from Physical and Health Education (PHE) Canada “kids (or adults) who are physically literate can move with competence in a wide variety of physical activities that benefit the development of the whole person.” (TEMERTZOGLOU, 2015) Physical literacy is not about doing great at just one sport or activity, but being competent in many sports/activities. Children who are physically literate are able

Topics will include factors such as developmentally appropriate physical education, factors influencing the learning of motor skills, development of movement tasks, and a comprehensive understanding of human movement taxonomies.” With this article, it is describing the importance of teaching children to appropriate healthy lifestyles that will help them in the future, this including learning about physical activity and improving their motor, communication, numeracy skills, etc. A lot of the content that is taught in this class revolves around teaching students about physical activity. A part of the article talks about how it is incredibly important to implement physical activity in schools. On page 19 of (Rink, 2014) it states that motor skill competence is a primary mechanism for physical engagement, well as children who have established this competence are more likely to participate in physical activity. This is the exact same concept of physical literacy, which is the main importance of the article. Furthermore “young children up to the age of seven do not have accurate perceptions of their own competence at motor skills.” This is the importance of teaching kids about physical activity at a young age so they know what to do later in life, which is exactly what the article stresses about when implementing physical activity as a cross-curricular program. On page 278-279 of (Rink, 2014), they discuss the importance of creating awareness of what students do outside of class and maintaining a physical life, as well as holding students accountable for what they do to be active. Furthermore, the textbook also includes adding the parents to the scene and educating them about physical activity, so they can help their kids. Finally, it adds