Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract With limited evidence from intervention studies, causal relationships between motor competence and cognitive and social development have yet to be clearly established. In this research, we investigated whether a targeted training programme to improve gross motor skills (i.e., object control, locomotor) in young children would also lead to improvements in cognitive (i.e., executive function) and social (i.e., socioemotional competence) domains. Using a two-arm group randomized intervention design, 185 children aged 36 to 60 months (mean 47.51, SD 8.11 months) were allocated to a motor skill intervention group or an active control group. The intervention was implemented over one school year, and outcomes were monitored across five time points. Longitudinal analysis was performed using hierarchical linear mixed-effects and latent growth curve models. Participation in motor skills training led to higher rates of development in object control skills (p < 0.001) and executive function (p < 0.001). A dose‒response relationship was found where those children who displayed greater development in object control skills over time also displayed greater development in executive function (p = 0.001). We found no significant effects of the intervention on locomotor skills, social behaviors, or socioemotional competence. These findings provide evidence of a causal relationship between motor and cognitive development.
Capio et al. (Tue,) studied this question.