Physical Activity, Fitness, School Readiness, and Cognition in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Early childhood is an important age for brain and cognitive development. Given the support of physical activity and fitness on cognition and academic performance in older children, more research has emerged recently focusing on younger children. In this systematic review, the authors review the relations between physical activity/fitness and academic-related (ie, school readiness and cognitive) outcomes in early childhood. Methods: A search was conducted from PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, ERIC databases, and reference lists for articles that had participants aged less than 6 years were written in English, and were in peer-reviewed journals. Articles were excluded if the design was a case study or case series report. The Grading Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework was followed to assess the quality of evidence by study design. Results: Sixty-eight articles reporting on 72 studies (29 observational and 43 experimental) were included. The majority of study effects were mixed, and the quality of evidence varied from very low to low. Conclusions: A clear consensus about the role of physical activity and fitness on academic-related outcomes in early childhood is still lacking given the high heterogeneity in methodological approaches and overall effects. Additional high-quality studies are needed to determine what specific dosages of physical activity are impactful at this age.

The Relationship between Physical Activity, Self-Regulation and Cognitive School Readiness in Preschool Children

“…These guidelines highlight the importance of physical activity in preschool aged children, however, to date, studies exploring the link between physical activity and cognitive outcomes lacks consensus [7]. One possible reason for the mixed findings may be that studies using objective measures of physical activity do not consider if the relationship between physical activity and cognitive outcomes varies by the intensity of physical activity (e.g., MVPA vs. total physical activity).…”

“…One possible reason for the mixed findings may be that studies using objective measures of physical activity do not consider if the relationship between physical activity and cognitive outcomes varies by the intensity of physical activity (e.g., MVPA vs. total physical activity). A deeper understanding of the type and intensity of physical activity that positively impacts developmental outcomes in preschool children will contribute towards a better understanding of the pathways through which physical activity influences a young child's development, particularly their cognitive development [7]. Such information is needed to better inform the design of future physical activity intervention studies to better support young children's cognitive development.…”

“…Given that self-regulation skills underlie many of the attributes and behaviours associated with cognitive school readiness, and there is some evidence to show that higher self-regulation is associated with better school readiness outcomes [15,19], as well as some evidence that physical activity is associated with both self-regulation [17] and cognitive development [18], it is possible that self-regulation mediates the relationship between physical activity and cognitive school readiness. A recent systematic review on preschool children's physical activity, school readiness, and cognition showed that there is still not a clear consensus of the evidence regarding the association between physical activity and preschool children's cognitive outcomes [7]. The review reported mixed findings and called for more research to understand the mechanistic pathways between physical activity, self-regulation, and cognitive outcomes in preschool children.…”

The Association between Physical Activity, Motor Skills and School Readiness in 4–5-Year-Old Children in the Northeast of England

“…Instead, it focusses on the control, coordination and quality of motor skills, such as hopping and skipping [4]. This finding is supported by a recent systematic review [46], which found no clear consensus on the role of PA for academic outcomes in early childhood. Furthermore, it may also be possible that children who engage in higher levels of PA do less sedentary activities, which may be perceived as better for the development of school readiness, such as reading, writing, fine motor activities, socialising and communicating.…”

The Multivariate Physical Activity Signatures Associated With Self-Regulation, Executive Function, and Early Academic Learning in 3–5-Year-Old Children

“…There is evidence of positive associations between physical activity (PA) and cognitive function in school-aged children and youth; however, evidence on associations for PA with academic achievement is inconsistent ( Rasberry et al, 2011 ; Donnelly et al, 2016 ). In younger children, the evidence on associations for PA with cognition and learning is weaker and overall less consistent ( Timmons et al, 2012 ; Carson et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Wood et al, 2020 ; St. Laurent et al, 2021 ). Yet, the preschool years are crucial with respect to developing cognitive skills ( Thompson and Nelson, 2001 ; Diamond, 2006 ; Calkins, 2007 ; Eisenberg and Zhou, 2016 ).…”