What Factors Help Young Children Develop Positive Perceptions of Their Motor Skills?

Abstract

A positive perception of motor skills is important for physical activity participation. The aim was to investigate which modifiable factors predict children’s perceived motor skills. Mothers completed questionnaires when their child was 3.5 and 5 years old. At 5 years old, the children’s perceived motor competence (PMC) was assessed. Separate linear regression models (up to 300 children) examined which factors at each time point predicted children’s PMC, adjusted for relevant confounders. Multivariate models were then run with factors associated (p < 0.10) with perception. At 3.5 years, the time spent with same age and older children (both higher tertiles) and parental physical activity facilitation (sum of facilitation in last month, e.g., taking child to park) were initially associated with higher perception. Dance/gymnastics participation were associated with lower perceptions. Other child behaviours, maternal beliefs, play equipment, and swimming lessons were non-significant. In the final prospective model (n = 226), parental physical activity facilitation when child was 3.5 years old was the only factor to predict PMC. No factors were significant for the cross-sectional analyses at 5 years. Perceptions are formed based on past experiences which may explain why factors at 3.5 years rather than current experiences (when children were 5 years old) were associated with childhood perceptions.

Pediatric care for children with developmental coordination disorder, can we do better?

“…DCD does not only manifest itself on motor coordination difficulties, it has a widespread impact on different domains of functioning such as the cognitive, language, and social-emotional domains, which creates a challenge for good assessment [ 78 ]. Therefore, if indicated, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to disentangle primary and secondary underlying factors in children with DCD to understand the practical implications [ 75 , 79 ].…”

Development of Basic Motor Skills from 3 to 10 Years of Age: Comparison by Sex and Age Range in Chilean Children

“…On the other hand, evidence shows that 4.4% of children aged 3 to 6 years have decreased developmental scores, and 8.8% are at risk of delay, and these decreased scores are associated with difficulties in achieving recommended levels of physical activity [ 1 ]. On the other hand, evidence indicates that children with higher levels of fundamental movement skills tend to be more active and perform more physical activity than those with poorer skills [ 44 ]. Recently, clear evidence has been found that physical activity decreases for each year of a child’s life, starting in early childhood [ 3 , 29 , 30 ].…”