Physical Education Matters Summer – 2006
Physical Literacy and Physical Education: Conceptual Mapping
Margaret Whitehead with Elizabeth Murdoch

This article proposes that the goal of Physical Education should be the nurturing of Physical Literacy, arguing that this would provide credible justification and valuable support for this area of the curriculum. The paper goes on to look at sustaining Physical Literacy throughout the whole life span, indicating significant others and important situations that would support the realization of this goal. The article includes a diagrammatic representation of the development, fostering and maintenance of Physical Literacy through life.