Effect of intervention programs to promote fundamental motor skills among typically developing children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Zhang, Dong; Soh, Kim Geok; Chan, Yoke Mun; Zaremohzzabieh, Zeinab

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107320

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Wick et al ( 13 ), based on thirteen studies, found an effect size (Cohen’s d) of 0.46, corresponding to a common-language effect size of 62.8%. Zhang et al ( 12 ), based on seven studies, reported an effect size (Cohen’s d) of 0.889, corresponding to a common-language effect size of 73.5%. In comparison, our updated meta-analysis, based on twenty studies comparing intervention programs to active control, shows a common-language effect size of 86.0%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it missed several high-quality studies that reported very large effect sizes of motor intervention programs (15) (see also the complete citation list in Results). As a result, conclusions from the existing meta-analysis (12)(13)(14) did not fully demonstrate the value of motor intervention programs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, studies designed with a passive control group offer limited insight into the efficacy of motor intervention programs. Secondly, although a recent systematic review ( 12 ) conducted a meta-analysis of intervention programs on children’s gross motor skills and extended findings from two earlier meta-analyses ( 13 , 14 ), it did not incorporate several new evidence, compromising an already small pool of literature in this field. Zhang et al included only seven studies that measured gross motor skills and concluded that motor intervention programs have a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.889) in preschool children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, there are two critical shortcomings in the existing literature. Firstly, several studies and literature reviews compare intervention programs to passive control (i.e., no physical activity) (11)(12)(13), which does not accurately reflect realistic settings. For example, in China, the Ministry of Education suggests that all preschools ensure children have 2 hours of outdoor activities per day, with a minimum of 1 hour dedicated to physical activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Motor development-focused exercise training enhances gross motor skills more effectively than ordinary physical activity in healthy preschool children: an updated meta-analysis

Wang,

Zhou

2024

Front. Public Health

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PurposeThe growth of certain human brain structures peaks at early ages, and complex motor interventions could positively facilitate this process. This study aims to offer an updated meta-analysis regarding the effectiveness of motor development-focused exercise training on gross motor skills in preschool children.MethodsWe searched English- and Chinese-language electronic databases as of March 2024. The main eligibility criteria were as follows: participants were healthy children aged 3 to 6 years old, and the experimental design was a randomized controlled trial, with the control arm participating in either free play or ordinary physical education curriculum. We conducted a Hartung-Knapp random-effects meta-analysis of the standardized mean difference for locomotor, object control, or gross motor quotient.ResultsThe search identified 23 eligible studies, of which approximately 75% were considered to have a low risk of bias. Compared with active control, exercise training showed a large to very large effect size. Cohen’s d values were 1.13, 1.55, and 1.53 for locomotor, object control, and gross motor quotient, respectively. From a probabilistic viewpoint, these effect sizes correspond to events that are “very likely to occur” and “almost sure to occur.” Due to variations in intervention programs, all outcome measures showed high heterogeneity.ConclusionThis updated meta-analysis offers a realistic synthesis of the current evidence, leading to the conclusion that targeted motor skill exercise training can almost certainly enhance preschool children’s gross motor skills. Practical implications are discussed regarding the refinement of the instructional framework and the dissemination of these findings in preschool settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Motor development-focused exercise training enhances gross motor skills more effectively than ordinary physical activity in healthy preschool children: an updated meta-analysis

Wang,

Zhou

2024

Front. Public Health

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“…It is well established that any form of physical activity and/or intervention is important for motor learning and performance in children with and without motor difficulties (10,11). Children with DCD have difficulty acquiring, retaining, executing, and transferring fundamental motor skills (9,12).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the influence of feedback on motor skill learning and motor performance for children with developmental coordination disorder: a systematic review

Welsby,

Hordacre,

Hobbs

et al. 2024

Front. Pediatr.

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IntroductionChildren with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have difficulties with learning and performing physical tasks. It is well known that task-specific practice is effective in improving motor skills. Additional feedback during practice may function as a quality improvement mechanism and therefore enhance motor skill outcomes.AimsTo investigate the effect of different forms of feedback on motor learning and motor performance in children with DCD.MethodsA systematic review was conducted (registration CRD42020175118) to investigate the effectiveness of different types of feedback, compared to other forms of feedback, or no additional feedback, on motor learning and motor performance outcomes in children with DCD. The search was run across six electronic databases (last search January 2024). Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion, assessed the quality of included studies, and extracted relevant data. A narrative synthesis was performed and included studies that assessed motor learning and/or performance outcomes following an intervention that delivered a specific form of feedback in comparison to another form of feedback or no specific feedback.Results14 articles from 13 trials were included in this review. Feedback was delivered by providing various forms of feedback, including: knowledge of results, focus of attention and augmented feedback delivered via technology. No significant differences were found between different forms of feedback for motor learning or performance outcomes for children with DCD. Interventions that used technology (with augmented feedback) to deliver the intervention were found to be as effective as traditional therapy. All groups who participated in therapy, regardless of the presence or type of feedback received, improved in overall scores on a motor performance outcome assessment.ConclusionDespite the clear rationale for using feedback-oriented interventions for children with DCD, there is surprisingly limited and low-quality research. There is no clear evidence that one form of feedback is more effective than another, although it appears that feedback delivered via technology may be as effective as feedback delivered in traditional therapy interventions for children with DCD. Further exploration is required from appropriately powered and well-designed trials.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=175118, identifier (CRD42020175118).

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The effects of structured coordinative exercise protocol on physical fitness, motor competence and inhibitory control in preschool children

Şendil,

Canlı,

sheeha

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a structured coordinative exercise intervention based on motor skill elements on physical fitness (PF), motor competence (MC) and inhibitory control (IC) in preschool children. A total of 41 kindergarten children (27 boys and 17 girls) aged between 5 and 6 years participated and were divided into exercise (EG; n = 18) and control (CG; n = 23) groups. The exercise group participated in a structured coordinative exercise programme focusing on locomotor and balance skills such as side-stepping, galloping, jumping and running for 30 min, 2 days a week for 8 weeks. The control group followed the normal curriculum. Children participated in measurements before and after 8 weeks, respectively; motor competence was assessed using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK3+) test battery, which includes eye-hand coordination and other coordinative skills. Physical fitness was measured by balance, agility and vertical jump tests. Inhibitory control was assessed using the Go/NoGo test in the Early Years Toolbox. As a result of the two-factor analysis of variance for mixed measures to determine whether being in the exercising group had a significant effect on the test scores, group by time interaction effect showed that the increase in the scores of the exercise group was significantly higher than that of the control group in the parameters of static balance, KTK sideways jump and KTK eye-hand coordination [respectively: F (1−39) = 6.993, p = 0.012; 6.443, p = 0.015; 8.180, p = 0.007). The results show that structured coordinative exercises improve PF and MC but have no significant effect on IC. This study targets the development of motor and cognitive skills considered to be important in preschool children and is one of the few studies to evaluate these parameters simultaneously. It also provides a comprehensive perspective on interventions aimed to positively affect health and development in early childhood. Trial Registration : NCT06631248. Registered on October 07, 2024.

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Effect of intervention programs to promote fundamental motor skills among typically developing children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 5 publications

References 58 publications

Motor development-focused exercise training enhances gross motor skills more effectively than ordinary physical activity in healthy preschool children: an updated meta-analysis

Motor development-focused exercise training enhances gross motor skills more effectively than ordinary physical activity in healthy preschool children: an updated meta-analysis

Evaluating the influence of feedback on motor skill learning and motor performance for children with developmental coordination disorder: a systematic review

The effects of structured coordinative exercise protocol on physical fitness, motor competence and inhibitory control in preschool children

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