Motor Magic': Evaluation of a community capacity-building approach to supporting the development of preschool children (original) (raw)
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Teaching Practices that Promote Motor Skills in Early Childhood Settings
Early Childhood Education Journal, 2012
The purpose of this study was to describe children's engagement during two (high and low) autonomy-based climates. Twenty-five preschool children participated in a nine-week object control skill intervention. Children completed the object control subscale of the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd Edition and the perceived physical competence subscale of Harter and Pike's Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance (1984). Skill attempts were tallied by video analyses. A skill attempt was considered appropriate if the movement was consistent with the correct execution of the skill and the goal of the task. Findings indicate (a) no significant difference in appropriate skill attempts between each climate, (b) no significant difference in appropriate skill attempts of low-and high-skilled children in each climate, (c) regardless of climate, children improved in object control percentile and low-skilled children improved significantly more than high-skilled children, and (d) high-autonomy group children significantly improved in pre-to postintervention on perceived competence compared to the low-autonomy group, regardless of skill 302 level. High-autonomy climates provide variations of task difficulty that may promote the development of perceived physical competence of preschool children.
Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 2017
This study investigated preschool staff and parents' perceptions of preschool children's physical activity (PA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS), in relation to the environment, facilities, play and barriers to PA. Following institutional ethics approval, semi-structured focus groups were conducted in 4 preschools, with the inclusion of parents and staff of 2-4year-old children from North Warwickshire, England. The focus groups consisted of between four and five participants and included both parents and staff. However, focus groups were homogeneous in terms of gender, socioeconomic background and predominately homogeneous in ethnic background. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes and subthemes. Emergent themes included: spacious outdoor environment, the use of climbing frames and outdoor equipment for promoting PA and developing FMS, who was responsible for PA; time, cost, health and safety concerns as barriers to PA and staff training. Findings suggest that preschools provide good opportunities for PA and FMS, especially for preschool children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, allowing them access to outdoor exercise and equipment. However, results from the focus groups highlighted a need for more staff training and greater parental involvement in relation to PA and FMS opportunities, to further improve preschool children's PA levels and develop their FMS. To increase PA and FMS in preschool children, interventions are required which continue with the current levels of PA in preschools, whilst 2 2 including greater parental involvement and staff training for increasing PA levels and developing FMS.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Parents are a determinant factor in a child’s development of motor skills. Studies show that programmes in which health visitors supervise parents may improve infants’ motor skills. This study examines which factors health visitors have found to enhance and hamper the implementation of a motor development programme among socially vulnerable parents of infants. The data consist of three group interviews with 4 health visitors in each (12 health visitors in total) and a subsequent member check with 27 health visitors. All were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and a thematic analysis was conducted. The results show that according to the health visitors, the programme increases the ability and willingness of parents to engage in co-producing its implementation. In particular, the materials that they hand out to the parents enhance the implementation. On the other hand, they perceive the limited time provided for the implementation, together with the many pressing needs of the fa...
Motor skill intervention for pre-school children: A scoping review
African Journal of Disability, 2020
This scoping review investigates the key elements of existing motor skill interventions for preschool children. Method: We gathered information through structured database searches from Cinahl, Eric, PubMed, Cochrane, ProQuest, Psych Net, PEDro and Scopus, using a keyword string. The PRISMA-SCR design was used to identify 45 eligible studies. All included studies investigated a motor skill intervention with well-defined outcome measures for children aged 4-7 years with motor skill difficulties. Studies that exclusively focused on children with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, physical disabilities or medical/physical deteriorating conditions were excluded. Information was charted on MS Excel spreadsheets. Fundamental concepts were categorised into common key themes and were converted into a proposed framework. Results: Fifteen intervention approaches were identified. Treatment is mostly managed by occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Evidence supports individual and group treatment with a child-centred, playful approach in a school or therapeutic setting. Whilst session information varied, there is moderate evidence to suggest that a 15-week programme, with two weekly sessions, may be feasible. Conclusion: Children with motor skill difficulties need therapeutic intervention. This study identified the key elements of existing therapy intervention methods and converted it into a proposed framework for intervention planning. It is a first step towards addressing motor skill difficulties amongst preschool children in low socioeconomic areas.
Journal of science and medicine in sport, 2017
This study aimed to: (1) determine the status of fundamental movement skill (FMS) performance in low-income, at-risk preschoolers; and (2) evaluate the impact of the Food Friends Get Movin' with Mighty Moves (MM) program on improving children's FMS at two-year follow-up. Longitudinal, quasi-experimental study with matched controls. The Colorado LEAP study was conducted in four Head Start/preschools (two intervention, two control) serving children aged 3-5 years. MM was delivered to the intervention group during preschool. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) subtests for balance, running speed and agility, upper-limb coordination (object control (OC) skills) and strength were administered to children at baseline, post-intervention in preschool, one-year follow-up (kindergarten), and two-year follow-up (first grade). Compared to the normative sample's mean, the mean scaled score for all participants at baseline was significantly lower ...
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2017
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 30-week fundamental motor skill (FMS) program in typically developing young children and to investigate possible sex differences. Design: A multicenter quasi experimental design was set up for this study which involved 992 children aged 3 to 8 years. Methods: All participants received their typical Physical Education curriculum and habitual movement activities. The intervention group (n=523; 53.5% boys) received a weekly 60-min motor skill session provided by trained local instructors in existing child settings; the control group (n=469; 49.7% boys) received no additional practice. FMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, 2 nd Edition (TGMD-2) before and after the intervention. To assess the effect of the intervention and possible sex differences, hierarchical linear regressions analyses were conducted for locomotor and object control gain scores. Results: The intervention group demonstrated a higher gain in both locomotor (β=3.78, SE=1.08, p<0.001) and object control (β=4.46, SE=1.06, p<0.001) skills than the control group. Girls demonstrated a lower gain in object control skills (β=-3.50, SE=0.49, p<0.001) and higher gain in locomotor skills (β=1.01, SE=0.44, p=0.022) than boys, regardless of group. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a wide-scale communitybased intervention in typically developing children. The sex differences reported may indicate the need to use different pedagogical and instructional strategies to enable boys and girls to develop and master a wide range of motor skills.
Infants & Young Children, 2011
Changes in early childhood science, theory, and best practices for improving outcomes of children with motor delay or dysfunction and their families have evolved rapidly since EI began. Changes in daily early intervention (EI) practice have been more elusive. Closing the gap between knowledge and practice requires EI providers to piece together information from a variety of knowledge streams including early childhood special education, pediatric rehabilitation, and cognitive psychology. The purpose of this article is to create a body of shared, evidence-based knowledge among providers responsible for addressing the needs of children with movement disorders and their families to effect changes in practice. This article discusses the evolution of EI practice models for children with motor concerns; examines related theories, interventions, and outcomes; and presents an alternative model based on contemporary evidence and grounded in dynamic systems theory. Researchers describe existing barriers to implementation of family-centered, support-based practices. Recommendations highlight the need for EI providers to collaborate with families to develop meaningful goals and to recognize and create opportunities for children to engage in high volumes of task-specific activity in a meaningful context. Continued research is required to verify effectiveness of this integrated model for improving child and family outcomes.