AUTHOR=Han Xiaowei , Zhao Meiling , Kong Zhe , Xie Jun TITLE=Association between fundamental motor skills and executive function in preschool children: A cross-sectional study JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.978994 DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.978994 ISSN=1664-1078 ABSTRACT=Objective

The main purpose of this study was to explore the association between early fundamental motor skills (FMS) and executive function (EF) in preschool children.

Methods

A total of 394 young children (4.07 ± 0.76 years) were evaluated. The FMS and EF were evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) and the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NTCB), respectively.

Results

Total FMS score was moderately and positively correlated with total EF score (r = 0.33, p < 0.001) and was a significant predictor of total EF score (β = 0.37, p < 0.001). Specifically, locomotor skills were significant predictors of inhibition control (β = 0.21, p < 0.001), working memory (β = 0.18, p < 0.01), and cognitive flexibility (β = 0.24, p < 0.001), while object control skills were only significant predictors of inhibition control (β = 0.17, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

FMS were significantly and positively correlated with EF and were significant predictors of EF. Early childhood policymakers, preschool teachers, and researchers should take these connections seriously and implement appropriate complex motor intervention programs in future teaching to stimulate the development of both motor and higher-order cognitive skills in preschool children.