guides

What Is Physical Literacy? A Parent's Guide

By Chaz Bagri13 June 20256 min read

A young girl climbs through an orange rope net in a playground

What is physical literacy? A child's relationship with moving: skill, confidence, friends and know-how. England's definition in plain English.

Physical literacy is a child's relationship with movement: whether they can move, enjoy it, feel confident doing it and want to keep doing it. The consensus statement for England, published by Sport England, puts it in one line: "our relationship with movement and physical activity throughout life". Skill is one part of it. The others are feelings, friendships and understanding.

That last point is the one most explanations bury. Physical literacy isn't a level a child reaches or a mark on a PE report. It's closer to how a child feels on the way to the park.

Almost everything written about it is for teachers, coaches and sports bodies. This is the version for a parent wondering what the phrase on the school newsletter means, and whether there's anything to do about it at home.

What England's definition actually says

In 2023, Sport England published the Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England, written by an expert group of researchers and professionals and finalised after consultation with people working in sport and activity. It's short, and it makes five points:

What it is: the degree to which we have a positive and meaningful relationship with movement and physical activity.
Why it matters: the quality of that relationship influences whether we choose to be active.
How it grows: through how we move, connect, think and feel when we're active, and through doing activities we enjoy, find meaningful and value.
What shapes it: the people around us, our communities, culture and the places we move in, for better or worse.
Who it belongs to: everyone's is personal, and it changes over a lifetime.

The Youth Sport Trust's toolkit uses almost the same wording and adds that research shows positive early experiences can lay the foundation for a lasting habit of being active.

What are the four elements of physical literacy?

The statement's booklet, Positive experiences for all, names four, each with its own examples:

Moves, Area of development: Physical; The booklet's examples: Movement skills, co-ordination, fitness; What you might notice at home: Running, climbing, catching, balancing
Connects, Area of development: Social; The booklet's examples: Social skills, building and keeping relationships; What you might notice at home: Playing chase with a cousin, taking turns on the swing
Thinks, Area of development: Cognitive; The booklet's examples: Knowledge and understanding, self-reflection; What you might notice at home: Explaining a game's rules, knowing why they're puffed out
Feels, Area of development: Affective (emotional); The booklet's examples: Motivation, confidence, resilience; What you might notice at home: Wanting to go again, trying after a fall

The booklet's footnote is precise about it: move, connect, think and feel stand for the physical, social, cognitive and affective areas of learning and development. Its own list calls Feels emotional development; both words mean the same quarter.

The Moves quarter is where fundamental movement skills sit: the running, jumping, balancing and catching that sports are built on. Physical literacy is that, plus the other three.

What physical literacy looks like at 3, 5 and 8

These are illustrations, not milestones. Every child's mix is different, and the consensus statement is clear that it's personal.

At three. Moves: climbs the same low wall again and again. Feels: shouts "watch me" before every jump. Connects: plays chase with a sibling for as long as they'll run. Thinks: knows the slide is fast and the steps are slow. England's early years guidance asks adults to help children become confident, competent, creative and adaptive movers, and at three that mostly means room to repeat things.

At five. Moves: hops, skips and is getting the hang of catching. Feels: falls off the scooter, cries, gets back on. Connects: joins a playground game without being asked twice. Thinks: can tell you who's "it" and why that's not fair.

At eight. Moves: links skills together, running into a jump or catching on the move. Feels: has favourites, and can say what they like about them. Connects: invents a game for friends and referees it. Thinks: notices they're getting better at something. The key stage 2 PE curriculum says pupils should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other, and learn how to improve.

Why the sportiest child isn't always the most physically literate

Picture two eight-year-olds. One catches everything, makes every team, and dreads PE because of how it feels to be watched. The other drops the ball half the time and can't wait for the next lesson.

On skill alone, the first wins. On physical literacy, the second may well be ahead, because enjoyment and confidence are half of it. Sport England puts it plainly: there's more to it than helping someone develop their physical movement skills. The booklet goes further and places a child's lifelong relationship with movement above athletic achievement.

That changes what to look for. "Are they good at it?" is a narrower question than "Do they want to go again?", and the second is the one the consensus statement cares about.

Why does physical literacy matter?

Because it's linked to whether children stay active. Sport England's announcement says that "research shows that children with high levels of physical literacy are twice as likely to engage in sport and physical activity". The booklet explains that this draws on its Active Lives survey of children's attitudes, which it describes as giving an indication of physical literacy.

The UK Chief Medical Officers make a related point in their physical activity guidelines. They describe movement skills as sometimes seen as a component of physical literacy, report moderate-quality evidence that being active and being skilful go together in both directions, and note that children who try more kinds of activity tend to see themselves as more capable, which also goes with being more active.

How to build it at home

None of this needs a club or a coach. The consensus statement says we deepen our connection with movement by doing activities we enjoy, find meaningful and value. At home, that looks like:

Variety over drilling. The Chief Medical Officers recommend a mix of activity types and intensities each week, which they say builds movement skills, rather than one sport on repeat.
Their choice, sometimes. A child who picks the game owns it.
Join in. Playing with them covers Connects better than watching from the bench.
Talk about it. "Why do you think you wobbled?" is the Thinks quarter in a sentence.
Celebrate the second go. Getting back on the scooter is the Feels quarter, and worth more than the first attempt.

Short, playful movement at home counts too. Our screen-free yoga mats have 15 numbered, laser-engraved poses, so your child can pick the next pose themselves, no screen involved. For more on the Moves side, see what gross motor skills are, and for daily amounts, how much exercise kids need.

If your child seems to avoid moving

Some children are simply quieter, and that's fine. If your child avoids movement altogether, seems in pain or unusually tired when they're active, or you're worried about how they move, speak to your GP. For babies and toddlers, the NHS says a health visitor or GP is there whenever you have a concern, not only at a scheduled review. If PE is the problem, a word with their teacher is a good start.

Frequently asked questions

What are examples of physical literacy?

A three-year-old climbing the same step ten times because it feels good. A five-year-old who falls off a scooter and gets back on. An eight-year-old who invents a game for friends and explains the rules. Each shows a child who can move, wants to, plays with others and understands what they're doing, which is the whole idea.

Why is physical literacy important?

Because how a child feels about moving affects whether they keep doing it. Sport England's consensus statement says a positive, meaningful relationship with movement makes us more likely to be and stay active, benefiting health, wellbeing and quality of life. Sport England also cites its survey of children's attitudes, which suggests children with high physical literacy are twice as likely to take part in sport and activity.

Is physical literacy the same as PE?

No. PE is a school subject, with a national curriculum for each key stage. Physical literacy is something a child carries everywhere: at school, in the park, at a party and at home. Good PE can build it, and so can a bike ride, a dance in the kitchen or a game of tag. It belongs to the child, not the timetable.

What does physical literacy look like in the early years?

Mostly play. In the early years it shows up as a child who enjoys moving, tries things again after a tumble, copies and plays alongside others, and starts to talk about what their body is doing. England's early years guidance encourages adults to help children become confident, competent, creative and adaptive movers, which is close to the same idea.

Sources

Shop the mats →