01
What is physical literacy?
Physical literacy is more than skill. It is how well kids move, how sure they feel when they move, and whether they want to keep moving for life.
In Canada, sport and education groups have used this idea for years. It shapes how many clubs and schools plan their programs.
02
Why observe it?
A season plan built on a guess is still a guess. Watching kids move shows you which skills are strong, which are missing, and which kids are sitting out.
Watching at the start and the end of a season also shows what your program changed.
03
The Canadian PLAY tools
Sport for Life publishes the PLAY tools. PLAYfun lets a trained observer rate movement skills like running, jumping, throwing and balance. PLAYbasic is a shorter version. PLAYself asks kids how they see their own skills.
They are a good place to start. They also take time, because one observer watches one child at a time.
You learn more from watching kids play than from asking them how they feel about it.
04
Run a simple observation
Pick five skills that matter to your sport. Set up a short station for each. Watch each child try each skill, and write down what you see in plain words.
Then watch a free play block. Notice who joins in, who starts games on their own, and who drifts to the edge.
05
Where video helps
Video lets you watch again, slow it down, and see the whole group at once instead of one child at a time. It also gives you a record to compare at the end of the season.
The GRW4Sport physical literacy read uses video of a normal session. It reads movement quality, joining in, self started play and play variety, so coaches and teachers can plan from what they saw.