Different teaching approaches can be employed to facilitate the development of fundamental movement skills (FMS) and rhythmic abilities (RA) in early childhood. This study examined the influence of three different educational programmes on the development of FMS and RA. The Test of Gross Motor Development-Second Edition and RA tests were used to assess FMS and the RA development among 62 children (aged 5 to 6 years) before and after implementation of three different programmes: music and movement programme, movement-only programme, and traditional programme according to a standard kindergarten curriculum. Results revealed that music and movement are interrelated curricular areas. In addition to more frequently studied effects of integrating movement into music education, and the effects of music on movement performance, our results demonstrated that movement practice, alone, also facilitates RA development. The results of the present study indicate that the most effective way to promote FMS and RA development in early childhood is to integrate music and movement into a uniform programme.