Influence of movement activities on shape recognition and retention

Three groups of 4-yr.-old children were asked to complete a form perception assessment instrument prior to, 1 hr. after, and 1 wk. following a treatment. Group 1 participated in a movement-based form perception program, while Group 2 was instructed using a traditional classroom method. A third group which acted as control participated in unrelated movement activities. A repeated-measures analysis of variance gave a main effect of tests and an interaction of groups X tests. Group 2 displayed significantly higher performance on the posttest than Group 1; however, after 7 wk. the performance of Group 2 had decreased to a level below that of Groups 1 and 3, which remained stable.