Does Daily Physical Education Improve Motor Skill Development and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Preschool Children?

Summary

Background: During childhood, physical activity (PA) plays a fundamental role in motor development, as movement experiences during this critical period support the acquisition of both fine and gross motor skills (GMS) and foster an active lifestyle. This developmental phase, marked by regular engagement in PA and the progressive attainment of motor competence, has been consistently linked to a range of health benefits. Accordingly, early motor intervention programs have received considerable research attention for their demonstrated positive impact on children's motor skill development. Beyond such general approaches, more targeted strategies have also been explored, including programs aimed at increasing the amount of time devoted to PA within school settings. Prior studies have shown that incorporating structured exercise interventions-based on enjoyable, game-like activities-into the curriculum can significantly enhance children's fundamental motor skills.

Method and Materials: A total of 258 preschool children (128 boys, 130 girls) were assigned to either a gender-balanced experimental group participating in an innovative, daily physical education program (EG; n=125) or a control group following the standard institutional curriculum (CG; n=133). The average age of participants was 6.07±0.42 years (EG: 6.05±0.43; CG: 6.10±0.40). In EG, participants had organized physical activity 5 days per week (3 days led by physical education specialists, 2 days by preschool teachers), with each session lasting approximately 30-40 minutes. The CG continued their usual routine with structured physical activity two times per week (1 day led by a specialist, 1 day by a teacher). The program was implemented over a period of six months. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) and Body Coordination Test for Children (KTK) were used to assess GMS, while the PREFIT battery was used to assess health-related physical fitness.

Aim: Тhe study aimed to empirically determine the effects of an experimental physical education program in preschool institutions on the development of motor skills and the improvement of health-related physical fitness in preschool-aged children.

Conditions

• Motor Activity
• Motor Coordination
• Child Development
• Excercise
• Physical Education and Training/Methods

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Six-month daily PE program (5x/week), led by PE specialists and teachers, combining ball sports, gymnastics, athletics, yoga, aerobics, dance, and martial arts for preschoolers.

The EG participated in a six-month innovative physical education program, conducted daily (five days per week) during morning hours as part of the institution's directed activities, with sessions led by physical education specialists three days per week and by preschool teachers on the remaining two days. The program incorporated elements of ball sports (basketball, football, handball), athletics, gymnastics (developmental, corrective, rhythmic), children's yoga, children's aerobics, dance (folk and standard), and demonstrations of martial arts, with session duration adapted to age standards for directed activities (approximately 30-40 minutes for the preparatory preschool group).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Novi Sad

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Dragan Marinkovic · University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

4 Years

Max Age

7 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-09-10

Primary Completion

2023-09-15

Completion

2024-05-15

Countries

• Serbia

Study Locations