Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 6, 2026
Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
Published on: May 17, 2024
Fundamental Movement/Motor Skills as an Important Component of Physical Literacy and Bridge to Physical Activity: A
Tomasz Piotrowski1, Hubert Makaruk2, Edyta Tekień3
1Department of Pediatric Cardiology and General Pediatrics, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland.
Insights
Fundamental movement skills (FMSs) are declining globally, impacting child development. Collaborative interventions involving various professionals are crucial for effective FMS acquisition and long-term health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Kinesiology
Background:
- Fundamental movement skills (FMSs) are vital for children's physical, cognitive, and social development.
- A global decline in FMS acquisition poses risks to long-term physical fitness and health.
- This review addresses the critical need to understand FMSs and their influencing factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a scoping review of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMSs) in children.
- To explore FMSs in relation to motor competence and physical literacy.
- To examine associations with physical activity, fitness, assessment methods, and interventions.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL.
- Key search terms included FMSs, motor competence, and physical literacy.
- Initial search yielded 2251 publications, with 95 selected after screening.
Main Results:
- Selected literature included reviews and meta-analyses on FMSs in healthy children.
- Publications were categorized into FMSs and motor development, conceptual terms, relationships, assessment tools, and interventions.
- Intervention effects on FMSs were the most frequently studied area (47 publications).
Conclusions:
- Collaborative interventions involving educators, parents, and healthcare providers are essential for FMS acquisition.
- Standardized assessment tools and understanding FMSs within physical literacy are recommended.
- Future research should focus on efficient intervention strategies and their link to physical activity levels.
Background:
Movement is crucial for human development, particularly during childhood. Fundamental movement skills (FMSs) are essential movement patterns that support physical, cognitive, and social development. Recent studies indicate an alarming worldwide decline in FMS acquisition, potentially impacting children's long-term physical fitness and health. This scoping review explored FMSs, their relationship to motor competence and physical literacy, associations with physical activity and fitness, assessment methods, and effective interventions.
Methods:
A comprehensive literature review was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases. The search utilized key phrases related to FMSs, motor competence, and physical literacy. Initially, 2251 publications were identified.
Results:
After rigorous screening, 95 English-language literature reviews and meta-analyses focusing on FMSs in healthy children were selected for detailed analysis. The accepted publications were categorized into five thematic areas: FMSs and motor development (11 publications), conceptual terms in FMS context (8 publications), relationships between FMSs and other parameters (15 publications), FMS assessment tools (14 publications), and intervention effects on FMSs (47 publications).
Conclusions:
Effective FMS acquisition requires collaborative interventions involving teachers, parents, sports professionals, and healthcare providers. Future research should focus on developing standardized assessment tools, interpreting FMSs as part of physical literacy to understand their association with PA level and design efficient intervention strategies.
