Acute effects of a motor coordination intervention on executive functions in kindergartners: a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background Executive functions are pivotal for future academic and social functioning. Causal effects of physical activity on executive functions have been shown in adults. The primary objective of this study was to test the proof-of-concept (i.e., feasibility of implementation and acceptance) of a motor coordination intervention and a sedentary control condition in kindergartners and its preliminary effectiveness on subsequent executive function performance. Methods The study used a two-group post-test only design. All children aged between 4 and 7 years old were eligible. One hundred and three children (46% girls; age: M = 5.71 years, 95% CI = 5.50 to 5.92) recruited in a middle-sized town in Germany were randomly assigned to a 20-min motor coordination intervention (n = 51) or a sedentary control condition (n = 52), both of which were conducted in a one-on-one experimenter-child setting in the university or kindergarten. A second blinded-to-condition experimenter assessed the executive function outcomes directly following the conditions. Proof-of-concept criteria were the implementation of the intervention with a moderate-to-vigorous physical activity level assessed via heart rate sensors, and with motor coordination demands, analyzed via video recordings; children’s acceptance via self-reported enjoyment of the conditions; and the post-assessments of executive functions with a behavioral and computerized task. Results The motor coordination intervention and the control condition were feasible in a one-on-one setting with kindergartners. The intervention revealed heart rate increases and challenging motor coordination tasks. Children in both conditions indicated they enjoy them. Performance in the two executive function tasks did not differ between children in the motor coordination intervention and the control condition. Conclusions A one-on-one experimenter-child setting was feasible to deliver in kindergartners. Future intervention studies should consider pre-testing of executive functions and take into account children’s characteristics as potential moderators, such as motor coordination skills.

Acute Effects of 5-Minute Dance Active Break on Executive Functions, Mathematics, and Enjoyment in Elementary School Children

“…The majority of the teachers consider an AB duration of more than 5min to be unrealistic (Chorlton et al, 2022). The unique contribution of this study is that the AB included only 5min dance activities (synchronized movements with the music), which was compared to a common type of aerobic AB used in previous studies (aerobic and strength activities) (Haas et al, 2022). According to the results of the study, the dance and aerobic groups showed a significant improvement in inhibition performance compared to pre-measurement.…”

“…However, the studies investigating the impact of a single session of exercise on cognitive functions have produced conflicting results. Some studies reported improvements in children's cognitive functions compared to the sedentary control group (Drollette et al, 2014;Ma et al, 2015;Schmidt et al, 2016), whereas other studies reported worsening effects (Egger et al, 2018;Gallotta et al, 2015), and others depicted no differences between AB and the sedentary control group (Calvert et al, 2019;Haas et al, 2022;Mavilidi et al, 2020;Yamazaki et al, 2018).…”

“…Most AB interventions include aerobic movements (e.g. marching/jogging on the spot, star jumps, various forms of hopping, push-ups), and these activities may not be appealing enough for children to initiate participation (Haas et al, 2022;Howie et al, 2015). The effectiveness of any survey depends directly on pupils' interest to participate, and many teachers reported that pupils are not interested in engaging in physical activities inside the classroom, such as running or jumping on the spot, because they do not find them appealing (Dinkel et al, 2017).…”

Associated biological and environmental factors of impaired executive function in preschool‐aged children: A population‐based study

“…The most recent randomized controlled trial conducted on preschoolers examined whether the MVPA intervention program positively affected EF skills, and these effects were found to have a significant correlation (Bai et al, 2022). However, there are inconsistencies in the articles suggesting that the MVPA is not significantly associated with EF in early childhood (Haas et al, 2022; McNeill et al, 2018; Willoughby et al, 2018).…”

Impacto de una propuesta con aprendizaje basado en juego en educación física sobre el compromiso cognitivo y nivel disfrute en preescolares

“…La hipótesis queda apoyada en distintos estudios (Hillman et al, 2014;Zach & Shalom, 2016) que obtienen mayores beneficios combinando el ejercicio físico que supone un mayor compromiso cognitivo (juegos motrices que requieren interacción y cooperación, y con estrategias de juego). Sin embargo, y aunque parece ser la variable de compromiso cognitivo una de las responsables de la obtención de mayores beneficios sobre el desarrollo de las FEs, pocos son los estudios que han investigado esta hipótesis en edades tempranas (Durán et al, 2015;Haas et al, 2022;Romero et al, 2018).…”