Celebrating Physical Literacy Week | 2–8 November 2026
Movement is so much more than running, jumping and playing games. Every time a child balances across a stepping stone, throws a beanbag or navigates an obstacle course, they're discovering what their body can do, building confidence and developing important skills for everyday life.
This Physical Literacy Week, we're celebrating the power of movement and sharing five simple, engaging activities educators can introduce into their classrooms, early learning environments and outdoor play spaces.
Educators and families can also explore free activity ideas and resources through the official Physical Literacy Week website.
What is Physical Literacy?
Physical literacy is about developing the skills, confidence, motivation and understanding needed to enjoy movement and participate in physical activity throughout life.
It's not just about being good at sport. It's about feeling confident to explore, try new movements, solve problems and enjoy being active with others.
The Australian Sports Commission's Physical Literacy Framework recognises four interconnected domains: physical, psychological, social and cognitive. Together, these highlight how movement supports much more than physical fitness.
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Physical: Developing balance, coordination, strength and movement skills.
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Psychological: Building confidence, motivation and enjoyment.
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Social: Learning to cooperate, communicate and participate with others.
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Cognitive: Understanding movement, making decisions and solving problems.
The wonderful thing is that these skills can develop naturally through everyday play.
1. Step, Balance & Explore
Focus: Balance, coordination and body awareness
Create a simple movement pathway using stepping stones, balance beams or floor markers.
Invite children to explore different ways of travelling along the pathway. Can they take big steps, small steps or pause to balance? Can they create their own route?
Extend the learning: Encourage children to plan a course for their friends, adjusting the distance and difficulty.
EDU-21 resource ideas: Step-a-Stones, balance pods and modular balancing equipment.
2. Ready, Aim, Throw!
Focus: Hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness and movement control
Set up a throwing station using beanbags, soft balls and different-sized targets.
Children can experiment with throwing from various distances, using one or both hands, or aiming at different targets.
Rather than focusing on who scores the most points, celebrate effort, experimentation and improvement.
Extend the learning: Invite children to estimate distances, count successful throws or create their own target games.
EDU-21 resource ideas: Beanbags, soft balls and pop-up targets.
3. Build an Adventure Obstacle Course
Focus: Gross motor skills, problem-solving and confidence
Transform an ordinary play space into an exciting movement adventure.
Create a course with opportunities to step, crawl, balance, reach, turn and move around obstacles.
Encourage children to imagine they're travelling through a jungle, exploring a new planet or crossing a river.
Extend the learning: Ask children to design their own course, explain the sequence and decide how they could make it easier or more challenging.
EDU-21 resource ideas: Walkboards, stepping stones, tunnels and balance equipment.
4. Move Together with Parachute Play
Focus: Cooperation, rhythm and social interaction
Parachute games provide wonderful opportunities for group movement.
Invite children to work together to create gentle waves, lift the parachute high, lower it slowly or keep a soft ball moving across the surface.
Experiment with different movements and speeds while encouraging children to listen, communicate and respond to one another.
Extend the learning: Add music and explore how the group can move to different rhythms.
EDU-21 resource ideas: Play parachutes, lightweight balls and beanbags.
5. Follow My Movement
Focus: Body awareness, creativity and motor planning
This simple activity requires very little equipment.
Invite one child or educator to demonstrate a movement while everyone else follows.
Try stretching tall, reaching sideways, stepping in different directions, turning, clapping or making different body shapes.
Give children opportunities to invent their own movements and lead the group.
Extend the learning: Introduce movement cards, action dice or music to inspire new ideas.
EDU-21 resource ideas: Movement cards, floor markers and active play resources.
Making Movement Inclusive
Every child deserves opportunities to experience the enjoyment of movement.
The key is to offer choices and adapt activities to suit different abilities, interests and confidence levels.
Consider:
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Providing seated, supported and standing movement options.
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Offering different-sized balls and beanbags.
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Adjusting distances, equipment heights and activity duration.
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Using visual demonstrations and simple instructions.
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Allowing children to participate at their own pace.
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Celebrating exploration, effort and participation rather than competition.
Small adjustments can make a meaningful difference in helping every child feel included and successful.
Building Confidence, One Movement at a Time
Physical literacy doesn't require complicated equipment or structured sports programs.
Sometimes the most valuable learning experiences begin with a simple invitation:
Can you find another way to move?
What happens if we try it differently?
How could we work together?
By providing engaging, playful and inclusive movement opportunities, educators can help children develop the confidence and motivation to stay active.
This Physical Literacy Week, let's celebrate every step, jump, stretch and discovery.
Explore EDU-21's range of active play and movement resources to inspire your next learning experience.
Yours in Learning,
The EDU-21 Team
