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Cited by 57Children's Physical and Motor DevelopmentPhysical Activity and HealthChild Development and Education

Fundamental Movement Skills and Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity Levels during Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

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Dobell, Alexandra, Pringle, Andy, Faghy, Mark A., Roscoe, Clare M. P.·2020·Children
DOI 10.3390/children7110224PMC PMC7697076
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Abstract

Early childhood is a key period for children to begin developing and practicing fundamental movement skills (FMS), while aiming to perform sufficient physical activity (PA). This study reviews the current evidence for the levels of achievement in FMS and PA measured using accelerometers among 4–5-year-old children and examines differences by gender. This review was conducted using the PRISMA framework. Keyword searches were conducted in Pubmed, Medline, Google Scholar and SPORTDiscus. Inclusion criteria included age: 4–5 years old; FMS measurement: Test of Gross Motor Development 2 and 3; PA measurement: objective methods; balance measurement: static single limb; study design: cross-sectional observational/descriptive, randomised control trials, intervention studies; language: English. Twenty-eight articles from twenty-one countries met the inclusion criteria and were split into either FMS and PA articles (n = 10) or balance articles (n = 18). Three articles showed children achieving 60 min of moderate to vigorous PA per day, two articles demonstrated significant differences between girls’ and boys’ performance of locomotor skills and five reported locomotor skills to be more proficient than object control skills at this age for both genders. Balance was measured in time (n = 12), points score (n = 3) or biomechanical variables (n = 3), displaying heterogeneity of not only measurement but also outcomes within these data, with static single limb balance held between 6.67 to 87.6 s within the articles. Four articles reported girls to have better balance than boys. There is little conclusive evidence of the current levels for FMS, PA and balance achievement in young children 4–5 years of age. The academic literature consistently reports low levels of FMS competence and mixed evidence for PA levels. Inconsistencies lie in balance measurement methodology, with broad-ranging outcomes of both low and high achievement at 4–5 years old. Further research is required to focus on increasing practice opportunities for children to improve their FMS, increase PA levels and establish sufficient balance ability. Consistent and comparable outcomes during early childhood through more homogenous methodologies are warranted.

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  1. [12]Gallahue D.L. Ozmun J.C. Goodway J.D. Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults 7th ed. McGraw-Hill New York, NY, USA 2011
  2. [16]Gabbard C.P. Life Long Motor Development 7th ed. Wolters Kluwer Health Philadelphia, PA, USA 2018
  3. [29]Bruininks R.H. Bruininks B.D. Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency: Manual Pearson Assessments AGS Publishing Circle Pines, MN, USA 2005
  4. [42]Riley J.J. Hughes A. Janssen X. Martin A. Hesketh K. Livingstone S. Hill C. Kipping R. Draper C. Okely A. Expert Working Group Working Paper, Under 5s. UK physical activity guidelines: Draft review and recommendations for the Under 5s University of Bristol Bristol, UK 2018
  5. [43]Hong Q.N. Pluye P. Fàbregues S. Bartlett G. Boardman F. Cargo M. Dagenais P. Gagnon M.-P. Griffiths F. Nicolau B. Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), Version 2018 McGraw-Hill New York, NY, USA 2018 30905698

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Authors
Dobell, A., Pringle, A., Faghy, M. A., & Roscoe, C. M. P.
Affiliations
University of Derby (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Dobell, Alexandra
  • Roscoe, Clare M. P.
ORCID
Venue
Children
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-11-11
Volume
7
Issue
11
Pages
224
ISSN
2227-9067 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/children7110224
PMC
PMC7697076
OpenAlex
W3103091172
Cited by
57
References
98
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9
FWCI
1.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Children (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Derby Online Research Archive. (University of Derby) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Children's Physical and Motor Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
  • Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Education
Keywords
basic motor skills, physical activity, early childhood, preschool children, balance, locomotor skills, object control skills, gender differences, Test of Gross Motor Development, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, accelerometer-measured activity

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