During the City of Ottawa’s Physical Literacy Workshop, we looked further into Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth, or what industry experts call “PLAY”.
“Physical literacy is a gateway to an active lifestyle from childhood through to adulthood,” says PLAY creator Dr. Dean Kriellaars. “These tools will help us understand the factors that can be modified to improve the overall activity level of Canadians, leading to healthier, disease-free lives. If we don’t measure it – it isn’t important. This will place physical literacy on an equal footing with literacy and numeracy.”
The highly anticipated Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth (PLAY) tools were officially launched at the International Physical Literacy Conference, in 2013. The PLAY tools, designed for coaches, exercise professionals, physiotherapists, athletic therapists, recreational leaders, parents and children, make it possible to determine individuals’ physical literacy levels in much the same way as literacy or numeracy levels.
Sedentary lifestyles and inactivity are becoming more frequent in Canada. With physical activity waning, more than 30 percent of Canadian children are overweight or obese, and that number continues to climb. With the PLAY tools, created by Dr. Dean Kriellaars, we can help reverse these trends and improve the health of the population.
There are five elements to this theory and practice:
PLAYbasic: assesses key movement skills performed by the child. The tool itself is made up of five tasks that cover the child’s physical abilities. Each ability is graded on a four-point rubric with the following categories: Initial, Emerging, Competent and Proficient.
PLAYbasic can be used in conjunction with the other PLAY tools to create the base assessment of the child’s current level of physical literacy. Then, one can create goals and track improvement. It is important that you and the child agree upon and establish realistic goals and manageable objectives, to continue to move forward and foster positive healthy and active lifestyle choices.
PLAYcoach is used by coaches, exercise professionals and physical therapists to evaluate a child’s physical literacy and ability. The tool itself is made up of questions that cover the child’s ability, confidence, participation and other key factors.
PLAYfun assesses key movement skills performed by the child. The tool itself is made up of 18 tasks that cover the child’s physical abilities. Each ability is graded on a four-point rubric with the following categories: Initial, Emerging, Competent and Proficient.
PLAYparent in conjunction with the PLAY tools used by trained professionals and others to create an assessment of your child’s current level of physical literacy.
PLAYself is a self-evaluation used by the child to determine their perception of their own physical literacy.
This information can help identify positive and negative factors that affect the child’s ability to live an active lifestyle. With these identifiers, a comprehensive plan can be put into place to help create success!