Exploring effects on motor skills of the ball-based play in preschools intervention, a stepped wedge case-controlled...

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Motor Skill Acquisition
• Early Childhood Education

Background:

• Low movement competence in early childhood impacts lifelong physical activity.
• Preschool years are crucial for developing foundational motor skills.
• Existing interventions for preschool motor skills often lack effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the preliminary effects of the "Ball-Based Play in Preschools" intervention on motor skills in children aged 3-6 years.
• To assess the intervention's impact on different components of motor competence, including aim-and-catch, manual dexterity, and balance.
• To utilize a stepped-wedge-case-controlled design for staggered implementation and robust evaluation.

Main Methods:

• A stepped-wedge-case-controlled design was employed across eight preschools with staggered intervention implementation.
• The Movement-ABC-2 test was administered at three timepoints to assess motor skills.
• Data were analyzed using linear mixed models and complete case analyses, with a focus on intervention effects.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in total motor competence (7.1-10.3 percentile points) and aim-and-catch skills (17.2-21.0 points).
• A moderate effect size was found for aim-and-catch skills (d=0.62), with notably larger gains in girls (d=1.01).
• No significant changes were detected in manual dexterity, and balance showed only marginal improvement.

Conclusions:

• The "Ball-Based Play in Preschools" intervention shows promise for enhancing general motor competence and specific ball-related skills.
• Findings support further development and scaling of the intervention.
• Future efforts should focus on refining intervention components to improve manual dexterity and balance.