Building the Foundation of Aquatic Literacy in 4–6 Years-Old Children: A Systematic Review of Good Pedagogical Practices for Children and Parents

Abstract

Children between the ages of 4–6 years represent the population most affected by drowning accidents, while their early involvement in physical activity, and more specifically in aquatic activities is a key factor in their future physical life journey. The systematic review’s purpose was to identify aspects in the intervention’s studies with children and/or their parents that had a significant impact on the Aquatic Literacy (AL) dimensions mentioned as motor, psychological, affective, and cognitive. The PICO method was used to define the research question and PRISMA checklist searched for articles in nine databases: Cochrane, Embase, ERIC, ProQuest, PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria were: (1) English language, (2) primary research, (3) population of 4–6 year old children or their parents, (4) intervention study design, and (5) results related to at least one of the AL domains. The strength of evidence and the risk of bias were assessed. Results showed relatively poor number of studies for such a vulnerable population regarding the drowning risk (n = 8 for parents and n = 14 for children intervention). Studies did not show a consensus on which educational approach was more beneficial than others. Concerning parental education, results were rather homogeneous, especially concerning the theoretical frameworks employed and the relevancy to include parents in swimming programs. The development of pedagogical tools for promotion and evaluation, based on the AL theoretical framework, could help to clarify the question of “how to teach” children to prevent drowning and engage young children in long-term physical activities.

Development and evaluation of a school-based physical literacy intervention for children in Germany: protocol of the PLACE study

“…However, the study has the limitation that the logistic situation (i.e., trainer qualification, infrastructure) does not permit to include water-based activities, although aquatic experiences represent an important aspect of PL development ( 105 , 106 ). Furthermore, the children cannot be randomly assigned to the intervention and control condition.…”

Teachers' Perspectives on Promoting Physical Activity in Early Childhood Education: A Pilot Study in Indonesia

“…In addition, some authors regard mastery of the aquatic environment at an early age as a procedure related to an individual's overall development [26][27][28]. Another study revealed that the development of aquatic motor skills is the result of obtaining knowledge about the characteristics of the environment in which students develop and understand how to effectively use their bodies in the aquatic environment [29]. Thus, aquatic initiation programs that involve motor play methodologies should be promoted as a means of fostering these motor skills.…”