Introduction

Given the time constraints for many professionals engaged within physical education and perhaps more broadly still, primary education (also known as elementary education), there is little wonder that many seek quick and practical solutions in their day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, many practitioners and, sadly, student practitioners fail to understand issues far beyond the immediate world in which they find themselves. This can be due to a range of reasons such as time, effort, interest or complexity. However, with the increased expectations placed on trainees moving towards a post-graduate-level profession and renewed research interests across the globe into elementary or primary-level physical education, it is of increased importance that a book such as the Routledge Handbook of Primary Physical Education provides a secure theoretical underpinning to those studying the subject area.