The effectiveness of “Multimove”: A fundamental motor skill intervention for typically developing young children

Abstract

The decline in the quality of motor skills of young children has been observed in recent [1]. These findings underline the need for motor skill interventions in early childhood settings. This study examines the influence of “Multimove”, a motor skill programme that strongly appeals to variation rather than sport-specific content, in 5- to 6-year-old children. The intervention group (n = 321; 162 ♂ and 159 ♀; mean age = 5.93; SD = 0.58) received a weekly 45- to 75-min motor skill session over a period of 30 weeks, in addition to the regular physical education curriculum. The control group (n = 166; 83 ♂ and 83 ♀; mean age = 5.97; SD = 0.57) did not participate in the program. Measures of the locomotor and object control skill, were assessed in a pre-post design by means of the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd edition (TGMD-2). Likewise, measures of gross motor coordination were taken on both occasions using the Körperkoordinations Test für Kinder (KTK). Preliminary analysis yielded a significant Group × Time interaction for the locomotor (F = 19.987; P < 0.001) and object control (F = 13.958; P < 0.001) scales. The intervention group revealed significantly higher locomotor and object control scores at the post-test than at pre-test whereas the control group only improved in object control skill over time. However, no significant Group × Time interaction was found for gross motor coordination measured with the KTK (F = 2.318; P = 0.129). Further analysis (age-groups, standard scores and retention-test data) will be presented at the conference. Preliminary findings show that the Multimove program has a positive effect on the fundamental motor skills of typically developing children, but does not seem to improve the gross motor coordination measured with a general test instrument like the KTK in this age group.