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Effects of Developmental Gymnastics Exercise Program on Preschoolers' Motor Skills: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Danilo Radanović1, Dragan Marinković1, Draženka Mačak1
1Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
Insights
Developmental gymnastics (DG) significantly improved preschool children's gross motor skills (GMS) over nine months. This structured program offers a valuable addition to early childhood education curricula.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Science
- Motor Development Studies
- Early Childhood Education
Background:
- Developmental Gymnastics (DG) is a specialized program targeting physical, cognitive, and motor development in children.
- Preschoolers' gross motor skills (GMS) are crucial for overall development and future physical activity engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of a 36-week Developmental Gymnastics (DG) program on the gross motor skills (GMS) of preschool children.
- To compare the GMS development between children participating in DG and those in a control group with standard physical activities.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 300 preschool children (aged 5.1 ± 0.83 years).
- Participants were assigned to an experimental group (DG program) or a control group (standard activities) for 36 weeks.
- Gross motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), with analyses adjusted for age and BMI.
Main Results:
- The experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in locomotor skills compared to the control group (mean difference in TGMD-2 total scores: +3.28, p=0.0002).
- Effect sizes for locomotor skills ranged from small to large (Cohen's d = 0.6-1.4), indicating practical significance.
- While both groups improved object control skills, gender-specific differences emerged, with boys in the EG showing greater improvements in stationary dribble and total object control scores.
Conclusions:
- A nine-month Developmental Gymnastics (DG) program led to significant improvements in preschool children's gross motor skills (GMS).
- These findings underscore the effectiveness of structured gymnastics interventions in enhancing motor development.
- The study suggests that DG can be a valuable and sustainable component of preschool curricula.
Background/Objectives:
The developmental gymnastics (DG) exercise programme is a specialised form of gymnastics that focuses on the physical, cognitive, and motor development of individuals, particularly children. This 36-week study aimed to investigate the effect of DG on the gross motor skills (GMS) of preschoolers.
Methods:
This randomised controlled trial included 300 preschool children (5.1 ± 0.83 years), of whom 220 completed the 36-week programme (EG = 99, CG = 121). The children were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group following standard physical activities. Attrition was mainly due to illness or attendance below 80%. Analyses were adjusted for age and BMI to control for confounding variables. Children in the CG participated in three organised extracurricular physical activities per week. In contrast, those in the EG engaged in 60 min of the designated exercise programme twice a week. We employed the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) to evaluate gross motor skills (GMS).
Results:
The mixed ANCOVA models revealed that EG showed greater improvement in all locomotor skills tests compared with the CG, with mean differences in TGMD-2 total scores of +3.28 points (p = 0.0002, partial η2 = 0.24). Effect sizes ranged from small to large (partial η2 = 0.05-0.19; Cohen's d = 0.6-1.4), indicating meaningful practical improvements in gross motor competence. In the combined sample, both groups demonstrated similar improvements in all tests of object control skills. However, gender-specific differences were observed in the improvement of underhand roll, stationary dribble performance, and the total score of object control skills. Girls in the CG showed more improvement in underhand roll performance than girls in the EG. In contrast, boys in the EG demonstrated greater improvements in stationary dribble performance (4%) and the total score for object control skills (3%) compared to boys in the CG.
Conclusions:
The results of this study indicate that the nine-month DG programme was associated with significant improvements in GMS in preschool children. These findings highlight the value of structured gymnastics as a sustainable component of preschool curricula.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT06315036.
