This study examined the effects of an 8-week motor-skill-enriched coordinative exercise program on physical fitness, motor competence, and response inhibition in preschool children. Forty-four typically developing children from two pre-existing preschool classes participated. One class completed the exercise program twice per week, with each session lasting 20 minutes, while the other class continued its usual preschool activities. Assessments were conducted before and after the intervention. Physical fitness was evaluated using countermovement jump, change-of-direction, and static and dynamic balance tests; motor competence was assessed using the KTK3+ test battery; and response inhibition was assessed using the Early Years Toolbox Go/No-Go task.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
44
An 8-week, twice-weekly motor-skill-enriched coordinative exercise program consisting of developmentally appropriate, game-based motor activities. Each session lasted approximately 20 minutes and included a 3-minute warm-up, a 14-minute main section, and a 3-minute cool-down. The program primarily emphasized locomotor, balance, spatial-orientation, direction-change, and whole-body coordination tasks, with selected object-control activities. Exercise complexity and practice duration were progressively increased across the intervention period.
Tekirdag Namik Kemal University
Tekirdağ, Turkey (Türkiye)
Change in Pro-Agility Test Completion Time
Change-of-direction performance was assessed using the Pro-Agility test. Completion time was recorded in seconds, with lower values indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in Static Balance Performance
Static balance was assessed using the Sensbalance MiniBoard and expressed as a percentage, with higher values indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in Dynamic Balance Performance
Dynamic balance was assessed using the Sensbalance MiniBoard and expressed as a percentage, with higher values indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in Countermovement Jump Height
Lower-body explosive performance was assessed using the countermovement jump. Jump height was recorded in centimeters, with higher values indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in KTK3+ Balancing Backwards Score
Balancing Backwards was assessed as part of the KTK3+ motor competence battery. The number of successful backward steps across the balance-beam trials was recorded, with higher scores indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in KTK3+ Jumping Sideways Score
Jumping Sideways was assessed as part of the KTK3+ motor competence battery. The total number of successful two-footed jumps across two trials was recorded, with higher scores indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in KTK3+ Moving Sideways Score
Moving Sideways was assessed as part of the KTK3+ motor competence battery. Scores from two 20-second trials were summed, with higher scores indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in KTK3+ Eye-Hand Coordination Score
Eye-hand coordination was assessed as part of the KTK3+ battery using an alternating tennis-ball throw-and-catch task. The number of successful catches across two trials was recorded, with higher scores indicating better performance.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in Go/No-Go Impulse-Control Score
Response inhibition was assessed using the Early Years Toolbox Go/No-Go task. The impulse-control score was calculated as proportional Go accuracy multiplied by proportional No-Go accuracy and ranged from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating better response inhibition.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Change in Correct-Go Reaction Time
Correct-Go reaction time from the Early Years Toolbox Go/No-Go task was recorded in milliseconds and was interpreted as an index of response speed rather than response inhibition. Lower values indicate faster responding.
Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks).
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