BACKGROUND: Existing research underscores the positive influence of consistent physical activity, fitness, and motor coordination on school-aged children's cognitive and academic performance. However, a gap exists in fully understanding this relationship among preschoolers, a critical age group where the development of cognitive functions is significant. The study aims to expand upon existing evidence that connects motor and cognitive development by examining the correlation between specific motor coordination and physical fitness skills and the development of constructive and conceptual thinking in preschool-aged children. METHODS: Data from 56 children aged 4-5 years (mean age 4.5 ± 0.36y), comprising 30 girls and 26 boys, participated in this study. We assessed muscular strength (via standing long jump, wall toss test, flexibility), agility (4 × 5 m shuttle), cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m pacer test), and motor coordination (lateral jumping, platform shifting). Cognitive abilities were measured using the IDS-P. RESULTS: Linear regression models showed that significant predictors of constructive thinking scores were observed solely for flexibility (p = 0.02) and shifting platforms (p = 0.01). Notably, flexibility exhibited a negative relationship (β = -1.68). In the context of conceptual thinking, significant predictors (p < 0.05) included standing long jump (p = 0.01), jumping laterally (p = 0.005), shifting platforms (p = 0.001), throwing (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Coordination-demanding activities seem to be related considerably to conceptual thinking in preschoolers. Integrating such motor activities into preschool curricula that demand cognitive engagement can positively influence the development of cognitive functions.

• Keywords
• cognitive development, conceptual thinking, constructive thinking, motor coordination, preschool children,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Previous empirical research and reviews have suggested that the level of fundamental movement skills (FMS), motor competence (MC), physical activity (PA), or physical fitness seem to directly influence the executive functions (EFs) in school aged children. However, there is no available comprehensive review of whether the exact links between motor constructs and EFs also exist in the preschool period, even though preschool age is the critical period for developing EFs. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review the evidence on the association between FMS, MC, PA, PF, and EFs. To conduct the systematic review, we utilized searches using Web of Science, PubMed, and EBSCO (including SPORTDiscus and Academic Search Premier). We included studies that examined associations between one or all of the four motor constructs with EFs among typically developing children aged 3-6 years, published between January 2010 and October 2021. A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which four were randomized controlled trials, three were longitudinal studies, four were cohort studies, and four were cross-sectional studies. We found weak correlations or insufficient evidence for associations between FMS, PA, PF, and EFs. However, there was strong evidence for a moderately strong association between MC and working memory, a moderately weak association between MC and inhibition, and inadequate evidence for a weak to moderate association between MC and shifting. In addition, only half of the included studies were methodologically high-quality studies. Specifically, a questionable design selection of research samples might bias the strength of evaluated associations. We also found significant diversity in the diagnostic tools used for assessing and measuring motor and EFs domains. Our findings support the assumption that motor competencies level, which contains physical capacity and cognitive components, could be significantly linked to EF development from a preschool age. Therefore, we suggest that future studies focus more on clinical trial design, combining movement interventions with different levels of cognitive components, for the purposive development of EFs in preschool-aged children.

• Keywords
• association, fundamental movement skill, motor competence, physical activity, physical fitness, preschool,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH