Relationships Among Activity, Motor Skill Performance and Executive Function in Preschool Children: Observational...

Executive functions are important for navigating daily demands and engaging in goal-driven behaviour. While these functions are associated with motor skills and activity in mid-to-late childhood, there is a paucity of available data among preschool ages. We hypothesized that child activity, motor skills and executive function would be associated among preschool-aged children.

Children aged 3-4 years wore an Actigraph GT3X+ for 7 days to assess activity levels. Product-oriented motor skills were assessed that measure balance, manual dexterity, agility, strength and coordination. The Early Years Toolbox was used to measure visual-spatial working memory via the Mr. Ant Task and inhibitory control using the Go/No-Go task. Pearson correlations evaluated associations among both physical activity and motor skill performance with executive function. N = 83 children provided data for the analytic sample.

Positive relationships (p < 0.001) were observed among inhibitory control and visual-spatial working memory and standing long jump (r = 0.46, r = 0.28), one-legged balance (r = 0.36, r = 0.40) and grip strength (r = 0.41, r = 0.44). A negative relationship (p < 0.001) was observed between quicker STUG times and inhibitory control and visual-spatial working memory (r = -0.47, r = -0.48).

The bidirectional associations of motor competence and executive function are evident during this rapid time of development. Cognitive functions are required for concerted movement and inhibiting nongoal-directed movements, indicating that this is an important period to provide ample opportunities for learning.