Cognitively enriched physical activity may foster motor competence and executive function as early as preschool age: a pilot trial

The relation between physical activity (PA), motor skills and cognitive function in children is receiving considerable attention. To transition scientific evidence into pedagogical practice, however, we need to further our understanding of which qualitative PA characteristics are best suited to stim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical education and sport pedagogy 2023-07, Vol.28 (4), p.425-443
Main Authors: Biino, Valentina, Tinagli, Valeria, Borioni, Federica, Pesce, Caterina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
After School Programs
Aquatic Sports
children
Cognitive Development
Cognitive Processes
Control Groups
Enrichment
Executive Function
Exercise
Games
Instructional Effectiveness
Intervention
Motor ability
motor coordination
Motor Development
Neuropsychology
Pedagogy
Physical Activities
Pilot projects
Preschool Children
Preschool Education
Psychological Testing
Psychomotor Skills
Skill Development
Student Improvement
Visual Measures
Working memory
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Summary:The relation between physical activity (PA), motor skills and cognitive function in children is receiving considerable attention. To transition scientific evidence into pedagogical practice, however, we need to further our understanding of which qualitative PA characteristics are best suited to stimulate motor skills and executive functions (EFs) relevant for children to develop their full potential. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of cognitively enriched PA on the development of motor skills and core EFs at preschool age, which is still less investigated than middle childhood in exercise and cognition research. Specific objectives were to also provide detailed information on the intervention for replicability and effect sizes for sample size computation for future well-powered studies. A sample of 36 children (19 girls; 17 boys) aged 3-6 years was divided in two intervention groups allocated to afterschool PA enriched with cognitive challenges or swimming (45-minute sessions twice a week for 12 weeks) and one control group that did not practise any afterschool PA. Before and after the intervention period, children were assessed for gross and fine motor skills with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd edition (PDMS-2) and for core EFs (working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility) with the Forward Word Span Test and Trail Making Test for young children. Intervention effects were explored with two-way Repeated Measures MANOVAs (Group × Time), followed by similar ANOVAs for each dependent variable, planned pairwise comparisons for post-hoc simple effects. Only children assigned to the enriched PA intervention showed significant improvements in gross motor skills (p = .001,  = .35) and working memory (p 
ISSN:1740-8989
1742-5786
DOI:10.1080/17408989.2021.1990249