Relationship of performance on motor activities and reading achievement

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of specific motor activities on elementary school-aged children's reading achievement. The subjects were 33 boys and 33 girls in Grade 2 enrolled in the regular program. They were separated equally into one of three groups: Experimental group 1 participated in Frostig activities, Experimental group 2 read books selected for their grade level, while a control group followed the traditional school routine. The two experimental groups were children from predominantly Mexican-American descent; the control group was primarily of Caucasian descent. During the 20-wk. period, the subjects met with their respective group three times per week in 1/2-hr. sessions. The first and second experimental groups showed no significant improvement in reading achievement. It was concluded that the added motor activities did not enhance reading achievement.