Effects of Combined Movement and Storytelling Intervention on Fundamental Motor Skills, Language Development and Physical Activity Level in Children Aged 3 to 6 Years: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

This study protocol aims to analyze and compare the effects of combined movement and storytelling intervention (CMSI) on fundamental motor skills (locomotor skills and object control), language development (language comprehension, language expression, vocabulary and language description), and physical activity levels (light intensity, moderate-to-vigorous intensity and sedentary time) in children aged 3 to 6 years. The sample will consist of 144 children from 12 class groups, randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups (n = 72 children) and 3 control groups (n = 72 children), belonging to 4 class groups of upper-middle-level classes (2 experimental and 2 control; 3 to 4 years), 4 transition level 1 classes (2 experimental and 2 control; 4 to 5 years) and 4 transition level 2 classes (2 experimental and 2 control; 5 to 6 years). The experimental groups will perform CMSI for 3 sessions per week (40 min per session) over 12 weeks (using one motor story per week), while the control groups will not receive any treatment. The main outcome will provide information about fundamental motor skills, language development, and physical activity levels. Our hypothesis indicates that CMSI has the potential to generate significant increases in selected assessments. If this intervention proves to be beneficial, it could contribute to preschool and school curricula.

An Effective and Playful Way of Practicing Online Motor Proficiency in Preschool Children

“…Lately, few studies have designed protocols and examined the effectiveness of combined movement and storytelling interventions in motor, cognitive, and/or linguistic skills in preschool children [25][26][27][28]. More specifically, Duncan et al [25] reported that a 6-week (2 times/week; 30 min/time) combined movement and storytelling intervention program, in kindergarten, enhanced motor competence and language ability in preschool children to a greater extent than movement or storytelling alone.…”

“…Furthermore, Eyre et al [26] found that a 12-week combined movement and storytelling intervention program (1 time/week; 35 min/time), in kindergarten, significantly improved different motor skills in both White and South Asian preschool children. More recently, Vargas-Vitoria et al [28] developed and designed a 12-week (3 times/week; 40 min/time) combined movement and storytelling intervention program for preschool children. The effectiveness of the above program on fundamental motor skills, language development, and physical activity level is expected to be examined by the authors in Chilean children.…”

“…It should be mentioned that all the aforementioned studies [25,26,28] designed and/or implemented combined movement and storytelling intervention programs in-person into kindergarten. While, there is no information regarding the effectiveness of an online (using live streaming distance learning) combined movement and storytelling intervention program, during the kindergarten curriculum, for preschool children.…”