Does 'Animal Fun' improve aiming and catching, and balance skills in young children?
Five-minute animal-movement games in preschool boost one-leg balance for everyone and throwing for low-skill kids.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Teachers ran the Animal Fun program in regular preschool classes. Kids copied animal movements like kangaroo hops and bear walks.
The study tracked balance, throwing, and catching before, after, and three months later.
All children were neurotypical and aged three to five. Classes were picked by chance to get Animal Fun or keep their normal schedule.
What they found
Every child who did Animal Fun stood longer on one foot.
Kids with low motor scores at the start threw a beanbag better after the games.
Surprise: the control group caught a ball better at follow-up. The program helped balance and throwing, but not catching.
How this fits with other research
Velghe et al. (2024) plan a 40-hour balance camp for older kids with coordination disorder. Their camp is intense and clinic-based; Animal Fun is light, daily, and classroom-based.
Riches et al. (2016) tested Preschool First Step in the same age group. That program cut problem behaviors; Animal Fun improved motor skills. Both show short, scripted lessons fit preschool routines.
Leung et al. (2014) used KITS to lift literacy and self-regulation. Like Animal Fun, KITS ran in low-cost group settings. Together the three studies say you can pick a focus—body, behavior, or books—and still fit inside busy preschool days.
Why it matters
You can weave Animal Fun into circle time without extra staff or gear. Five-minute animal games warm up bodies and sharpen balance. If a child struggles with gross motor tasks, add more bear walks and frog jumps. Keep catching practice separate; the program alone did not boost catching. Use the one-leg balance test as a quick check before and after your motor block.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AIM: The Animal Fun program, a universal early intervention program that aims to promote the motor skills and social-emotional development of young children, has shown to improve overall motor proficiency and social and behavioural outcomes. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the program's impact on children's aiming and catching, and balance skills. METHODS: A cluster randomised control trial was employed, with six intervention and six control (following normal curriculum) schools. A total sample of 511 children (257 boys and 254 girls), aged 4-6 years presented at pre-test. Children were tested across three time points, pre-test, post intervention (six months later) and follow-up (18 months after pre-test), using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 Aiming and Catching, and Balance tasks. The study also tested for potential moderators including pre-test motor proficiency, age, gender, and cognitive performance. RESULTS: Participation in Animal Fun improved children's one leg balance at post-test and follow-up compared to control children, regardless of pre-test motor proficiency, age, gender, or pre-test cognitive performance. Participation in Animal Fun also improved throwing skills for those children with poorer motor proficiency compared to the controls with poorer motor performance. Interestingly, it was found that the control group's catching skills improved more than the intervention group at follow up. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides some promising results regarding the efficacy of the Animal Fun program in improving one-leg balance for all children, and throwing skills for those children with poorer motor proficiency, while also suggesting potential confounding factors, such as maturational issues and other individual factors (e.g., a child's participation in extracurricular activity).
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.07.004