Effects of a Fundamental Motor Skill-Based Afterschool Program on Children’s Physical and Cognitive Health Outcomes

Abstract

Globally, more than half of school-aged children do not engage in the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Given that developing sufficient fundamental motor skills (FMS) competence during early elementary school years is important for a child’s physical and cognitive development, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an 8-week FMS-based afterschool program on physical and cognitive health outcomes among elementary children. Participants were 31 K–2 students (19 girls, 12 boys; Mage = 6.65 ± 0.98) from three public elementary schools in the southwestern United States who were assigned to the intervention group (FMS-based afterschool program; n = 20) or the control group (traditional afterschool program; n = 11). A 2 × 2 repeated measures MANOVA showed significant changes in FMS competence and MVPA between the intervention and the control group over time. However, no significant changes were found in cognitive functioning. The 8-week FMS-based afterschool program showed significant improvements in FMS competence and MVPA, compared to a traditional afterschool program. This finding suggests that structured FMS-focused strategies (e.g., fun games and goal setting) can be a critical component when implementing a physical activity program to enhance children’s motor skills and physical activity behavior.

Relative Age Effect on Motor Competence in Children Aged 4–5 Years

“…(2) Combine more free play time and directed PE during the school day since the time of motor experiences is a determining factor in the development of motor competence [31]. 3Implement programs based on FMS in other school settings, such as during recess and breaks in the classroom [28].…”

“…Thus, we must not forget that the development of motor competence in boys and girls is one of the objectives of PE [22,23], and the development of motor competence is considered a critical element within a quality PE class since it provides an inclusive, qualified and meaningful opportunity for all children [24]. For these reasons, motor competence has become one of the most important contents to work on in compulsory schooling [25,26], as included in the study plans designed by educational administrations [23], because the development of each child is of special importance to them since motor skills are essential for their integral development [27,28].…”

Physical Fitness Promotion among Adolescents: Effects of a Jump Rope-Based Physical Activity Afterschool Program

“…Afterschool programs can be efficacious for implementing jump rope exercise since they allow students to participate in a variety of movements and physical activities [ 27 , 28 ]. Previous evidence has shown that an afterschool PA program brings multiple health benefits, including increased PA behaviors [ 29 ], working memory [ 30 ], motor skills competence [ 31 ], reduced body fat [ 32 ], and increased academic motivation and effort [ 33 ]. It was also noted that adolescents’ MVPA was strongly associated with supervised PA and accessibility to sports equipment and facilities during afterschool programs [ 34 ].…”

Guided Active Play Promotes Physical Activity and Improves Fundamental Motor Skills for School-Aged Children

“…To overcome these challenges, it has been suggested that the higher physical activity levels observed for active play may also improve FMS for preschool and school-aged children (Engelen et al, 2013;Adamo et al, 2016;Johnstone et. al., 2017;Foulkes et al, 2017;Lee et al, 2020). Although the positive interaction between PA levels and FMS proficiency proposed for active play seems plausible, the effect and benefits of active play programs on increased PA levels and improved FMS remains unclear (Johnstone et al, 2018).…”