Fundamental motor skills are important markers of child development, yet gold standard measurement of these skills may be infeasible in large surveillance studies. The SUNRISE study examines movement behaviors and fundamental motor skills among an international sample of preschool-aged children. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of…

There is a common assumption that changes in developmental movement patterns (process) leads to better skill outcome performance (product); however, limited longitudinal data evaluate this assumption. This study examined (a) the longitudinal relationship among process and product motor skill scores across early childhood (3.5-6 years) and (b) the…

Based on dynamic systems theory, the longitudinal study tracked 120 kindergarten children 2 years to examine the differentiation and transition of object control profiles among preschool children aged 3 to 6. Latent profile analysis (LPA) and latent transition analysis (LTA) were employed to identify development profiles and transitions, as well…

Aim: This systematic review aims to summarize evidence on correlates of fundamental motor skills in typically developing children aged 0-4 years. Methods: A literature search (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus) was performed from 2000 till 23 May 2022. Inclusion criteria was cross-sectional and prospective studies examining associations…

Background: Several studies have reported low adherence to World Health Organization sedentary behavior (SB) guidelines in the early years. The purpose of this review is to examine the associations between time spent in different types of SB (screen time and habitual SB) and motor competence (MC; fundamental motor skills, fine and gross motor…

This study examined the effect of a 10-week structured physical education programme on fundamental motor skills enhancement in a preschool setting. Forty-four children, 27 boys and 17 girls, 3 to 5 years of age, were randomly assigned to the control group and the experimental group. Locomotor and object control skills were measured before and…

Purpose: To analyze associations between physical activity (PA) during school hours and fundamental movement skills (FMS) of young children with and without PE classes. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 201 children of both sexes (102 girls, 50.7%), aged 3-5 years old (4.51 ± 0.79), who were engaged (n = 129) or not (n = 72) in physical…

The first years of life are an optimal time for developing motor competence. However, the evidence regarding motor competence in early childhood is fragmented and needs to be clearly synthesized and presented. To establish effective evidence-based decision making in research, practice, and policy for the early years, this expert statement, on…

The main aim of the present study was to identify motor difficulties in Greek preschoolers. Secondary aims were to identify possible differences in prevalence of motor difficulties related to gender, age, body mass index, place of residence, and hand preference. 302 preschoolers were assessed using the first age band (3-6 years) of the Movement…

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a web-based platform for parents to support preschoolers' development of physical literacy. Specifically, this intervention focused on children's motor and social-emotional skill development. Twenty parents (M[subscript age] = 35.7, SD = 4.2) of preschool-aged children…

Due to the lack of tools that can be easily used by practitioners, there is a need to develop acceptable embedded ways to assess children's fine motor skill development within early childhood education and care settings. This study examined the validity and reliability of a brief and ecologically valid fine motor assessment tool for preschool-aged…

Purpose: The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the relationship between infant vocal characteristics and later speech motor impairment in children at risk for cerebral palsy (CP) to inform the early prediction of speech motor impairment. Method: Vocal complexity, volubility, and consonant inventories of 13 infants at risk of CP were…

Forest school is a form of outdoor learning that takes children into regular and repeated learning experiences in natural settings. Being based on a comprehensive experience with nature, it is assumed to be beneficial for learning and to promote restorative effects on cognitive and emotional function in preschool children. This review aimed to…

The main objective of this study was to examine the existence of Relative Age Effect (RAE) and analyze the effect of gender on Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) of preschool children aged 4-5 years old. A total of 298 healthy preschool children were evaluated. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) was used to evaluate preschoolers' FMS. The…

The purpose of this study was to determine the associations of device-based assessments of physical activity (PA) and health-related fitness (HRF) with gross motor skills (GMS) in preschool-aged children. Participants were 3- to 5-year-old children (N = 316; 49.6% female) who participated in the 2012 National Youth Fitness Survey. GMS was assessed…