Enhancing Executive Function in Children and Adolescents Through Motor Learning: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Enhancing executive function in children and adolescents can have significant positive impact on their current and future daily lives. Upregulation of executive function associated with motor skill acquisition suggests that motor learning scenarios provide valuable developmental opportunities to optimize executive function. The present systematic review aimed to identify key motor learning features that contribute to executive function enhancement in children and adolescents. A January 2024 database search identified 62 eligible studies, involving a total of 4,163 children and adolescents, aged 3–17 years, from developmentally typical (35 studies) and atypical or clinical (27 studies) populations. Schools (51%), sports (22%), laboratory (11%), or home (5%) settings with 8- to 12-week programs for primarily fundamental or perceptual-motor skills but also sport, dance, and musical instrument skills were implemented to evaluate executive function outcomes in domains including working memory (55%), inhibitory control (55%), attention (48%), and cognitive flexibility (41%). Enhanced executive function was most frequently associated with gross and discrete or serial motor skill characteristics, closed or stationary regulatory environments, and variable practice conditions. Studies frequently omitted the assessment of motor learning outcomes or lacked sufficient methodological detail needed to classify motor skill and practice design features that might contribute to executive function enhancement.