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Interventions to improve fundamental motor skills in pre-school aged children: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Abbey Van Capelle1, Carolyn R Broderick2, Nancy van Doorn2
1Department of Exercise Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Insights
Physical activity interventions boost fundamental motor skills in preschoolers. Teacher-led programs showed significant improvements, highlighting their potential to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Science
- Motor Development
- Public Health Interventions
Background:
- Mastery of fundamental motor skills (FMS) is linked to higher physical activity (PA) levels in school-aged children.
- Research on FMS and PA interventions in preschoolers (3-5 years) is limited.
- Understanding effective interventions for this age group is crucial for promoting lifelong physical activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving fundamental motor skills (FMS) in preschoolers.
- To assess the impact of different intervention types (Teacher-Led, Child-Centred, Parent-Led) on FMS and physical activity.
- To explore potential links between FMS development and changes in PA and sedentary time in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- A systematic search of electronic databases identified controlled trials of PA interventions targeting FMS in healthy preschoolers.
- Meta-analysis was performed using standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals.
- Twenty trials involving 4255 preschoolers were included, with 854 completing an FMS intervention.
Main Results:
- Teacher-Led (TL) interventions significantly improved overall FMS (SMD=0.14), object control skills (SMD=0.47), and locomotor skills (SMD=0.44).
- Child-Centred (CC) interventions did not yield significant improvements in FMS.
- A small, non-significant reduction in sedentary time (SMD=-0.35) and a large, non-significant increase in PA (SMD=0.79) were observed across interventions.
Conclusions:
- Physical activity interventions can effectively enhance fundamental motor skills in preschoolers.
- Teacher-Led interventions appear most effective for improving FMS in this age group.
- Further research is needed on Child-Centred interventions and their impact on PA and sedentary behavior in preschoolers.
Objectives:
Mastery in -fundamental motor skills (FMS) is associated with increased physical activity (PA) in school-aged children; however, there is limited research on pre-schoolers (3-5 years). We aimed to evaluate interventions for improving FMS as well as PA.
Design/Methods:
A search of electronic databases was conducted for controlled trials using PA interventions with FMS as outcomes in healthy pre-schoolers. Standardised mean difference (SMD), 95% confidence intervals and publication bias were calculated for each outcome using Revman 5.3.
Results:
Twenty trials met inclusion criteria. In total, 4255 pre-schoolers were analysed with 854 completing a FMS intervention. Studies were categorised into three groups (i) Teacher-Led (TL)(n=13); (ii) Child-Centred (CC)(n=6) and (iii) Parent-Led (PL)(n=1). Mean age was 4.3±0.4 years, with equal gender distribution. Interventions ran for 21±17 weeks, 3±1 times per week for 35±17 minutes. TL interventions significantly improved overall FMS (SMD=0.14[0.06, 0.21]; p=0.0003), object control (SMD=0.47[0.15, 0.80]; p= 0.004), and locomotor skills (SMD=0.44[0.16, 0.73]; p=0.002), whereas CC interventions were not significant. There was a small, non-significant reduction in sedentary time (SMD=-0.35[-0.80, 0.10]; p= 0.12), and a large non-significant increase in PA (SMD=0.79[-0.83, 2.41]; p=0.34).
Conclusion:
PA interventions improve FMS in pre-schoolers; however, due to limited research, more study is needed on CC interventions. Targeting FMS development in pre-schoolers may promote higher PA levels and reduce sedentary time, however more study is needed.
