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Siblings' Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers

Luis P Rodrigues1,2, Carlos Luz3,4, Rita Cordovil5,6

  • 1Escola Superior Desporto e Lazer de Melgaço, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 3, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children with siblings tend to have better motor skills than only children. This study found a positive association between having siblings and improved motor competence in early childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Motor Skill Acquisition
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Increasing prevalence of single-child families globally.
  • Potential negative impacts of sibling absence on child development, including motor skills.
  • Need for research on the influence of sibling presence on motor competence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of living with or without siblings on children's motor competence.
  • To compare motor skill development between only children and children with siblings.
  • To identify potential benefits of sibling relationships for early childhood motor development.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed 161 children aged 3.0–6.0 years (34 only children, 125 with siblings) using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA).
  • Children had no known motor or cognitive disabilities.
  • Compared motor competence percentile distributions between sibling and only child groups using chi-square tests.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive association was found between having siblings and motor competence distribution (chi-square = 6.29; p = 0.043).
  • Children living with siblings demonstrated a tendency towards better motor competence across stability, locomotor, and manipulative subscales.
  • This association was independent of children's age and sex.

Conclusions:

  • Sibling presence is positively associated with enhanced motor competence in early childhood.
  • Children with siblings show a developmental advantage in motor skill acquisition.
  • Family structure, specifically the presence of siblings, plays a role in optimizing motor development.

Keywords:
MCAearly childhoodhouseholdmotor performanceonly child

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