More than physical activity: preschool educators’ sense-making of physical literacy

Background Physical literacy (PL) is increasingly recognized as a holistic framework for promoting lifelong engagement in physical activity. Despite growing policy interest, little is known about how preschool educators understand and integrate PL into everyday pedagogical practice in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Methods This mixed-methods case study formed part of the P hysical L iter a c y to enhance Mo vement and P hysical A ctivity (PLayMoPA) project and examined two Swedish municipalities participating in the Make a Move PL initiative. Survey data were collected from 150 preschool educators, complemented by focus-group interviews with 15 educators and individual interviews with three preschool leaders. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Most educators reported a good understanding of PL and perceived it as enriching their pedagogical practice. Five interrelated themes captured educators’ sense-making of PL: (1) PL extends beyond physical activity and sport; (2) movement should be inclusive and individually adapted; (3) movement competence develops through an ongoing learning process; (4) educators shifted from overprotection towards supported exploration and appropriate risk-taking; and (5) PL became embedded within everyday pedagogy rather than being viewed as an additional task. Educators described increased confidence in promoting movement and integrating it into language, mathematics, play, relationship-building, and wellbeing. Physical literacy became meaningful through pedagogical enactment rather than primarily through mastery of its theoretical definition. Conclusion Educators understood PL primarily as a pedagogical approach rather than a movement programme. The initiative fostered a shift towards more inclusive, integrated, and confidence-building movement practices, suggesting that PL can strengthen both movement promotion and broader pedagogical quality in preschool education.