Fundamental movement skills proficiency amongst neurotypical grade one children in Cape Town, South Africa

Globally, there is a growing need to recognise and realise the importance of physical activity (PA). For children to be active, they need to be proficient in fundamental movement skills (FMS) because these skills serve as the building blocks for more specific and complex movements later in life. To date, no previous study has investigated the FMS proficiency of children in the Western Cape, South Africa (SA). This study investigated the FMS proficiency of Grade 1 children (N = 178) from two schools in Cape Town (SA) using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). The results indicated that 35% of the participants mastered all their FMS. Generally, children performed better in locomotor than object control skills, however, no statistically significant differences were found in locomotor skills between boys and girls. There was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.01) in object control skills, where boys performed better than girls. The results indicated that run was the highest mastered skill and hop the most difficult to master. The greatest difference between boys and girls was in kick and roll, where boys performed better. Although the results look seemingly good in comparison to international studies, it is recommended that children should continue to practice their FMS, especially strike, hop, leap and gallop, as they were the most difficult skills to master. These results highlight the importance of FMS proficiency and describe the proficiency of Grade 1 children in a selected area in the Western Cape.