Gross motor skills and social behavior in childhood: a public health perspective on their developmental association
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Object control skills consistently predict social behavior in children, while locomotor skills are important only in early childhood. Targeted interventions can promote social skill development through motor skill enhancement.
Area Of Science
- Child Development
- Motor Skills
- Social Behavior
Background
- Gross motor skills are theorized to influence childhood social behavior.
- The specific motor skill types associated with social behavior across different developmental stages remain unclear.
Purpose Of The Study
- To examine the distinct and developmentally-specific relationships among locomotor skills, object control skills, and social behavior.
- Investigate these relationships across early (3-5 years), middle (6-8 years), and late childhood (9-10 years).
Main Methods
- Cross-sectional study of 578 Chinese children.
- Assessed gross motor skills using the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3).
- Evaluated social behavior via the teacher-completed Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales (SSIS), controlling for sex, BMI, and physical activity.
Main Results
- Older children (6-10 years) showed greater locomotor skills and social behavior ratings than younger children (3-5 years).
- Object control skills steadily improved with age and positively predicted social behavior across all childhood stages (β = 0.224–0.419, p < 0.01).
- Locomotor skills significantly predicted social behavior only in early childhood (β = 0.453, p < 0.001).
Conclusions
- Object control skills are a consistent correlate of social behavior throughout childhood.
- Locomotor skills are particularly relevant for social behavior in early childhood.
- Interventions focusing on specific motor skills, tailored to age, can promote social skill development.
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