Actual and perceived motor competence in children with motor coordination difficulties: Effect of a movement-based intervention.
A 27-play session movement club lifts real and felt motor skill in preschoolers with delays, and the win sticks for months.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sánchez-Matas et al. (2024) ran 27 short movement play sessions for preschoolers with low motor skills.
Kids were four to six years old. No control group was used.
The team tracked real and felt motor skill before, after, and five months later.
What they found
Both real and felt motor skill went up right after the program.
The gains were still there five months later.
Parents and teachers said the kids moved with more confidence.
How this fits with other research
Taylor et al. (2017) tried the same two-part idea—motor drills plus confidence talks—with older kids. They saw no extra win from adding the talks. The new study shows the package can work if you start younger and keep it play-based.
Hui-Ang et al. (2019) added eight FMS lessons to school PE. Their grade-schoolers also kept gains for a year. Together the papers draw a line: short, fun movement blocks help from preschool up.
Ben Mansour et al. (2026) swapped drills for mindfulness moves in teens. Big motor jumps still showed up. The pattern says many roads lead to better coordination; pick the one your client enjoys.
Why it matters
You can run a 27-session movement club in clinic, daycare, or home visits. Keep sessions short, game-like, and praise every small win. The boost may last half a school year, buying time for other goals.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The present study analyses the effect of a Movement-Based Intervention to improve Actual and Perceived Motor Competence in children with probable Developmental Coordination Disorder aged four and six years. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A longitudinal pre-experimental study was designed with measurements conducted at pre-test, post-test and follow-up (after 5 months without intervention). The group, composed of children with probable Developmental Coordination Disorder or low motor competence, consisted of 57 participants, and the duration of a Movement-Based Intervention was 27 sessions allocated in nine weeks. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Actual Motor Competence was evaluated with the Movement Assessment Battery for School children and Perceived Motor Competence with Pictorial Scale of Perceived Motor Skill Competence for Children. The results showed significant improvements in both study variables (Actual Motor Competence and Perceived Motor Competence), both at post-test and follow-up, five months after the end of the intervention. In conclusion, a Movement-based Intervention is effective in improving Actual and Perceived Motor Competence in the participants of this research, children with low motor competence or probable Developmental Coordination Disorder. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Considering the improvements observed after the program in Spanish sample, it seems that the usual practice in Early Childhood Education in our context may not be sufficient, i.e., it may not provide children with the necessary support (number of lesson and time) and appropriate learning contexts to promote the development of their motor skills. Considering the results, this study suggests that using an Movement-Based Intervention with an appropriate pedagogical approach, and offering different learning opportunities to children according to their needs, could positively influence their Actual and Perceived Motor Competence, and could motivate them towards future practice.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2024 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104797