Effects of a Nine-Month Physical Activity Intervention on Morphological Characteristics and Motor and Cognitive Skills of Preschool Children

Abstract

(1) Background: Regular physical activity (PA) plays an important role during early childhood physical and psychological development. This study investigates the effects of a 9-month PA intervention on physiological characteristics and motor and cognitive skills in preschool children. (2) Methods: Preschool children (n = 132; age 4 to 7 years) attending regular preschool programs were nonrandomly assigned to PA intervention (n = 66; 60 min sessions twice per week) or a control group (n = 66; no additional organized PA program) for 9 months. Exercise training for the intervention group included various sports games, outdoor activities, martial arts, yoga, and dance. Anthropometry, motor skills (7 tests), and cognitive skills (Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices and Cognitive Assessment System) were assessed before and after an intervention period in both groups. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. (3) Results: Body weight significantly increased in both groups over time. Compared to the changes observed in the control group, the intervention group significantly increased in chest circumference (p = 0.022). In contrast, the control group demonstrated an increase in waist circumference (p = 0.001), while these measures in the intervention group remained stable. Participants in the intervention group improved running speed (p = 0.016) and standing broad jump (p = 0.000). The flexibility level was maintained in the intervention group, while a significant decrease was observed in the control group (p = 0.010). Children from the intervention group demonstrated progress in the bent-arm hang test (p = 0.001), unlike the control group subjects. Varied improvements in cognitive skills were observed for different variables in both intervention and control groups, with no robust evidence for PA-intervention-related improvements. (4) Conclusions: Preschool children’s participation in a preschool PA intervention improves their motor skills.

Teaching Methodologies and School Organization in Early Childhood Education and Its Association with Physical Activity

“…Early childhood (up to five years of age) represents a crucial period for the physical, social, affective, mental and emotional development of children [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] in which the development of basic motor skills, perceptual-motor factors, physical capacities, and psychosocial variables should be emphasized [ 1 , 5 ]. Furthermore, at this robust and rapid growth stage in cognitive development, a strong connection between action and cognition begins to be built [ 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

“…A fundamental role in this process is played by physical activity (PA), since its practice during early childhood offers a wide range of physical, physiological and psychosocial benefits [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 8 ], and contributes to cognitive development and learning [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This is because aerobic exercise can cause changes at various levels, including morphological and functional changes in the brain, and these changes have a significant effect on cognition and behavior [ 5 , 6 , 11 , 18 ].…”

“…First, there is an increase in cerebral blood flow that leads to an increase in oxygenation and glucose supply to certain neural areas closely related to cognitive functions of educational relevance [ 10 , 11 , 17 , 30 ]. In parallel, modifications of white matter integrity and gray matter volume can be observed, partly produced by neuronal maintenance and proliferation, leading to memory consolidation and improved cognitive function in children [ 5 , 11 , 15 ].…”

“…What is more, there is evidence that not all forms of aerobic exercise benefit the executive function equally, being cognitive-engagement exercise the one that has a stronger effect on it [ 6 , 15 , 17 ]. For example, problem solving that occurs during motor play may promote higher-level skill such as attention-inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility [ 3 , 5 , 6 ], in addition to other cognitive functions such as planning, organization, sequencing, and decision-making [ 12 ]. These cognitive skills are believed to be linked by some common underlying processes, but they are employed and combined differently depending on the task to guide behavior, being necessary not only for academic success, but also for success in daily-life tasks that all children must master to gain full independence [ 3 , 6 , 17 , 33 ].…”

“…Thus, regular PA and movement integration programs have a great impact on aspects such as cognitive performance [ 6 ], response speed, motivation, working memory, planning, attention, inhibitory control [ 5 , 7 , 11 , 15 , 17 , 26 , 27 ], social and emotional development and, in general, executive functions and academic performance [ 3 , 4 , 18 , 19 ].…”