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Published on: July 1, 2019
Influence of motor skills training on children's development evaluated in the Motor skills in PreSchool (MiPS)
Lise Hestbaek1, Sarah Thurøe Andersen2, Thomas Skovgaard2
1Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics and Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark. l.hestbaek@nikkb.dk.
Insights
This study investigates a program to improve motor skills in preschoolers. Early motor skill development is crucial for overall child development and well-being.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Pediatric Health
- Motor Skill Acquisition
Background:
- Good motor skills are vital for children's physical, social, and psychological development.
- Preschool age is a critical window for motor skill development and preventive interventions.
- The precise relationship between motor skills and broader developmental outcomes requires further understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of a structured program on motor skills, health, cognition, and well-being in 3-6-year-old children.
- To establish normative data for motor skills in preschool-aged children.
- To describe the early development of musculoskeletal issues and establish a population-based cohort for long-term study.
Main Methods:
- A four-year implementation of a motor skill optimization program across preschools in Svendborg, Denmark.
- A comparative design with an intervention subset and a control subset for the first three years.
- Establishment of a cohort of 1461 children (aged 3-6) with extensive baseline data collection on motor skills, health, cognition, and demographics.
Main Results:
- The study is designed to document the potential effects of the motor skill intervention program.
- A comprehensive cohort is being established to provide extensive data on early motor skills and their developmental impact.
- Follow-up data collection is planned for 2.5 years, with potential for extension until children reach age 15-16.
Conclusions:
- Positive trial results could lead to easily implementable and cost-effective interventions in similar settings.
- The established cohort will yield significant insights into how early motor skills influence diverse developmental domains.
- Understanding these interactions can inform future preventive strategies and support children's holistic development.
Background:
Good motor skills are considered important for children's physical, social, and psychological development, but the relationship is still poorly understood. Preschool age seems to be decisive for the development of motor skills and probably the most promising time-window in relation to preventive strategies based on improved motor skills. This research program has four overall aims: (1) investigation of the effect of a structured program aimed at improving motor skills in 3-6-year-old children on current and future motor skills, health, cognition, and wellbeing; (2) establish reference data on motor skills in 3-6-year-olds; (3) description of early development of musculoskeletal problems; and (4) establishment of a population-based cohort of 3-6-year-olds.
Methods:
Over a four-year period, all preschools in a Danish municipality, Svendborg, will implement a new program aimed at optimizing children's motor skills. By introducing the program into a subset of the preschools at onset and comparing these children to another subset (control) that will not receive the intervention the first three years, it is possible to document a potential effect of the intervention. At the same time, a cohort will be established including all children attending preschools in the municipality with extensive baseline data collection: gross and fine motor skills; movement patterns; musculoskeletal complaints; physical activity; anthropometry; general wellbeing; cognitive abilities; language status; medical history; demographic background; and more. The children are aged 3-6 years at baseline. A total of 1461 children have been invited into the cohort, 368 to the intervention arm and 359 to the control arm. Follow-up time for the trial is 2.5 years. The cohort is planned to run at least until the children leave school at age 15-16 years. Longer follow-up will depend on future funding.
Discussion:
If the results of the trial are positive, the intervention can be implemented in other similar settings with reasonable ease and at a relatively low initial cost. This is due to the extensive end-user involvement, the broad population base, and the pragmatic nature of the intervention. The cohort will provide important information about the influence of early motor skills on children's development across many domains and the potential interactions between these domains.
Trial Registration:
ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN23701994 . Registered on 13 October 2016.
