The Effect of a 10-Week Physical Activity Programme on Fundamental Movement Skills in 3-4-Year-Old Children within Early Childhood Education Centres.
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Date
2021-06
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
Rights
CC BY
Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a 10-week physical activity (PA) programme, in early childhood education (ECE) settings, on 3 and 4-year-old children's fundamental movement skills (FMS). A further aim was to examine FMS three-months post-intervention. The PA instructors delivered one 45 min session/week over 10 weeks, to 3- and 4-year-old children (n = 46), across four ECE centres. These sessions involved participation from ECE teachers. Children in the control group (CON; n = 20) received no PA classes and completed pre- and post-intervention assessments only. Locomotor (e.g., running/hopping) and object-control (e.g., kicking/throwing) skills were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), before and after the intervention and, for the intervention group (EXP), at 3 months. Locomotor and object-control skills significantly improved in the EXP group, with typically no change in the CON group. The EXP group's locomotor and object-control skills were maintained at 3 months. The 10-week PA intervention successfully improved 3- and 4-year-old children's FMS.
Description
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors
Keywords
motor skills, physical activity, physical education, pre-school, test of gross motor development
Citation
Ali A, McLachlan C, Mugridge O, McLaughlin T, Conlon C, Clarke L. (2021). The Effect of a 10-Week Physical Activity Programme on Fundamental Movement Skills in 3-4-Year-Old Children within Early Childhood Education Centres.. Children (Basel). 8. 6. (pp. 440-).