The Montessori philosophy and environment offers opportunities for free movement within the classroom. Physical development includes the acquisition of fundamental movement skills (FMS) which children acquire through different opportunities for movement. Previous research has shown that Montessorian pre-schoolers were more physically active during…

Physical education (PE) programs are uniquely situated to promote the development of fundamental movement skills (FMS). The aim of this systematic review was to examine the elements of PE-based interventions globally for the development of FMS, as assessed through the test of gross motor development (TGMD). A systematic literature search was…

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…

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…

We aimed to calculate interrater reliability of the Test of Gross Motor Development--Third Edition (TGMD-3) after raters reached a consensus regarding measurement criteria. Three raters measured the fundamental movement skills of 25 children on the TGMD-3 at two different times: (a) once when simply following the measurement criteria in the TGMD-3…

Improving the development of the social, emotional, and physical domains during early childhood impacts the overall trajectory of a child's well-being. However, researchers often address these independently, leaving a gap for a more integrated approach to promoting development. This study explores the effects of a dual-component intervention on…

"Research Findings:" The influence of early childhood teachers' professional development on fundamental movement skills remains unknown in the literature. The purpose of the present study was to examine how early childhood teachers' professional development in physical education (PE) contributes to predicting children's fundamental…

Early childhood is a critical period characterized by rapid development of motor and language skills. Reliably assessing motor and language development in early childhood is difficult, and there is a lack of agreement on measurement tool use. This scoping review aims to identify measurement tools used to examine motor and language skills in…

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…

Purpose: Competence in fundamental movement skills (FMS) is purported to be linked with increased physical activity participation. Yet, recent research suggests a low level of FMS proficiency in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, impact on gender, and influence of teacher fidelity on the Moving Well-Being Well…

The present study aims to examine the effects of Brain Gym exercise on development of fundamental motor and social skills. Eighty-four children (Mage: 9.55±1.09 years) were selected and randomly assigned to two groups of 42: the Brain Gym and the control group. Participants in the Brain Gym group attended sixteen training sessions. The gross motor…

Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) often present motor co-ordination difficulties accompanying their speech and sound delays. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a paired versus a small group gross motor intervention on selected pre-school children, pre-identified with CAS. Children pre-identified with…

Fundamental motor skills (FMSs) are building blocks for future movements and may vary according to cultural context. Moreover, network analysis can identify which skills contribute most to an overall set of skills. This study identified the most influential FMS in samples of U.S. and Brazil preschoolers that may contribute to a pattern of adequate…

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the game-based training program on fundamental movement skills (FMS) and working memory (WM) in male children with Down syndrome. Twenty-one children ages 9 to 11 years were assigned to either a Game-Based Training (GBT) or No-Training (NT) group. The GBT group participated in 12 sessions…