The impact of maternal emotional intelligence on young children’s motor development

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined the relationship between the mother’s emotional intelligence (EI) and children’s motor development. Iranian preschool children (N = 148) in the range of 4–6 years were selected from daycare centres using a multi-stage cluster sampling. The BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 Short-Form were used to assess EI and child motor development. Results indicated a significant relationship between family income, mother’s education, mother’s EI, and child motor development. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed a reliable goodness of fit for the relation between EI and motor development. Also, there was statistically significant association between EI and motor development with an effect size of 45%, thus suggesting that the mother’s EI could predict motor development. Whereas all EI dimensions had some positive influence on the child’s motor development, interpersonal skills highlighted the overall impact. Among the four scales of motor proficiency, the highest effect of EI was with fine-motor skills (55%). Overall, and arguably the most profound finding was that higher EI scores were significantly associated with higher child motor skill scores. In conclusion, these findings support the notion that a mother’s EI could have a significant impact on a child’s motor development.