The association between physical activity, motor skills and school readiness in early years children
Oral Presentation B3.2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.494Keywords:
Physical Activity, Motor Skills, School ReadinessAbstract
Background: The benefits of being physically active, possessing good motor skills, and being school ready are well documented in early years. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that the majority of early years children do not engage in sufficient amounts of physical activity, have low motor skill competence, and 30% of children in England, do not achieve school readiness. Reception is a key stage in the development of health and educational behaviours. Purpose: To explore the association between physical activity, motor skills and school readiness in early years children. Methods: An observational study was conducted collecting data on 326 Reception children's physical activity (ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers), motor skills (MABC-2 and the locomotor section of the TGMD-2) and school readiness levels (EYFS profile). Results: This study found that on average children were sufficiently physically active according to the UK physical activity guidelines, and engaged in less sedentary behaviour than previously documented. Motor skills scores were in line with previous research on early years motor skills. A higher percentage of children in the sample (80%) achieved school readiness than the average for England. Regression analyses found that motor skills and sedentary behaviour were significantly predictive of school readiness, whereas physical activity was not. Conclusion: The promotion of motor skills in parallel with developmentally positive sedentary behaviours, whilst maintaining sufficient physical activity, in early years, may help to increase the number of children achieving school readiness, and may lead to long term benefits in educational, social, and physical development. Funding: This project was funded by Teesside University as part of the lead authors PhD project.
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