The Effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention aimed at improving preschoolers' fundamental movement skills and physical activity levels

Background A growing body of literature has demonstrated the positive relationship between the acquisition of physical literacy (PL) and engagement in physical activity (PA). Moreover, fundamental movement skills (FMS) has... [ view full abstract ]

Background

A growing body of literature has demonstrated the positive relationship between the acquisition of physical literacy (PL) and engagement in physical activity (PA). Moreover, fundamental movement skills (FMS) has been highlighted as one of the essential component for the acquisition of PL. The best age to learn and practice FMS is 2 – 7 years old, during physical education (PE). However, pre-primary schools (i.e. for children aged 2 – 5) in Hong Kong neither have specific PE periods, nor require a specifically trained teacher to lead PA-related activities.

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a multicomponent, parent-teacher intervention aimed at improving children’s FMS and PA.

Methods

The intervention was delivered at a kindergarten, at least one of each child’s parents and all teachers of the kindergarten completed the intervention. Intervention components (i.e. educational workshops, parent sharing sessions, and “carnival-like” events, Educational materials) were designed by a group of experts (PE pedagogy scholars, clinicians and psychologists with Ph.D. training). A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to compare children’s FMS and PA before and after the intervention.

Results

77 children between 2 – 5 years old provided complete pre- and post-intervention data. FMS was assessed by direct observation (DO) and PA was measured by Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers. Children’s left balance, jump and run FMS scores were significantly improved (p < .05) for boys and girls. Significant increase in MVPA (p < .05) was also found in girls before (22.38 mins) and after (26.05 mins) intervention.   

Conclusions and implications

A multicomponent, parent-teacher intervention was effective in improving kindergarten children’s FMS and increasing girls’ engagement in MVPA. Interventions aimed at improving kindergarten children’s FMS and PA engagement are recommended to include components that target both parents and teachers, as they are important agents of kindergarten-aged children.