This study explored whether Year 1 school children exposed to a 12-week classroom-based gross motor program progressed differently than Year 1 children undertaking their regular school program in motor proficiency, mathematics, and reading outcomes. Fifty-five Australian Year 1 school children (25 boys, 30 girls, mean age 6.77 ± 0.40 years) were…

Preschoolers demonstrate rapid growth in motor, cognitive, and socioemotional (SE) skills. The "Early Childhood Longitude Study--Birth Cohort" was used to investigate the discrepancy in fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, and SE skills between children with and without disabilities. Findings indicated that, compared with typically…

Motor proficiency and socioeconomic status are considered critical role players in setting children on an early trajectory of academic failure or success. To determine longitudinal influences of motor proficiency (MP) and socioeconomic status (SES) on academic achievement of primary school learners, a mediating model was constructed and tested…

This study explores how music training impacts the development of inhibition control, phonological processing, and gross and fine motor skills in preschoolers. In a randomized controlled trial, 160 kindergarteners in a music programme, a motor programme, or a control group were examined. Children in the two experimental conditions took part in 19…

This study aimed to investigate whether or not gymnastics is effective to develop 60-72-month-old children's motor skills. The participants were selected from two different preschools in the same district of Ankara, Turkey. While half of the children participated in regular gymnastic activities in their schools, the remaining part of them did not…

Previous studies have documented that individual differences in fine and gross motor skills are associated with executive function (EF) skills. This study used an experimental design to test whether participating in cognitively challenging motor skills activities was causally related to improvements in motor skills and two key indicators of school…

Efforts to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in school-aged children are associated with improved health, cognitive, and academic outcomes. However, questions remain about whether similar benefits are observed in early childhood. We hypothesized that motor competence, not MVPA, would be related to improved cognitive and…

Movement is essential for learning. Previous research explored the relationship between movement and academic performance, however, evidence regarding the specific gross motor skills related to reading and spelling is lacking. The current study, therefore, investigated the effect a perceptual-motor intervention had on the relationship between…

Proficiency in fundamental motor skills (FMS) is important for both the health and the overall growth and development of young children. To identify factors that facilitate the development of FMS, the study provided preliminary data on the effect of videomodeling (VM) on the acquisition of FMS by typically developing young children. Participants…

The current longitudinal study used data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to examine a model of development that emphasizes early caregiving environments as predictors of social emotional competence (including classroom competence). This path analysis…

Impulsivity is a hallmark of two of the three DSM-IV ADHD subtypes and is associated with myriad adverse outcomes. Limited research, however, is available concerning the mechanisms and processes that contribute to impulsive responding by children with ADHD. The current study tested predictions from two competing models of ADHD--working memory (WM)…