Physical literacy: Why it's the need of the hour for the younger generation

Quick question for parents:

Why send your child to Karate class if they are interested in science?

Or if your child loves reading history books, is it necessary to make them learn more about food, health, and nutrition??

As obvious as it may sound, this approach needs to change to ensure best practices in modern-day education.?

'Health is wealth' is an old adage,? but it still holds true. If your children are in the best of health, they are more likely to tap into their full potential and perform well in academics as well as extracurricular activities.?

And that's where physical literacy comes in. It helps students learn the critical aspects of health, including nutrition, exercise, meditation, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for overall well-being. This is important to help them navigate through the fast-paced world that we are living in, for which a healthy lifestyle is key.? Students become confident, knowledgeable, and responsible for sports and physical activities they want to pursue in life.

According to Margaret Whitehead, “Physical literacy can be defined as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, understanding and knowledge to maintain physical activity at an individually appropriate level, throughout life”

At Stellar, we instill love, intrinsic motivation, and commitment to being active from an early age. Not only is physical competence necessary, but also a love of physical activity and a joy for participation.?

We know that every child is unique and different, as should their physical literacy journey through life be, as they mature and learn at different rates. We identify and celebrate each individual’s strengths in the different stages of their development, using these as the foundation for their learning. So often, children get treated as miniature adults, forgetting that they pass through developmental stages to which physical activities should be adapted.

Most fundamental movement skills are learned in the same sequence, but the speed at which this happens may differ. Children are not pushed to perform as an adult would but to perform the skill in steps appropriate to their stage of development.

Our children should flourish on their physical journey through life. While developing their physical literacy skills, they are also learning social, emotional, and cognitive skills, which are crucial when engaging with the world. Our confident learners are taught to take responsibility for their well-being and make healthy choices that will benefit them in the long run.

What do you think of physical literacy? How important is it in today's world? Tell us in the comments!?