SynthesisBMC public health2025
Can active play replace skill-oriented physical education in enhancing fundamental movement skills among preschool children? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of a structured fundamental motor skills intervention on executive function in second grade students: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Physically Active Play as a Context for Motor Learning in Children with and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Conceptual Synthesis of Cross-Domain Alignment.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Computing and Evaluating Relationships Between Equal and Differential Factor Weighting for Fundamental Movement Skills and Physical Activity with Guided Active Play During Childhood.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effects of different types of structured physical activity courses on gross motor development in preschool children: a 12-week comparative intervention study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- A Quasi-Experimental Hip-Hop-Based Program to Improve Motor Competence and Physical Activity in Preschoolers in Portugal: The "Grow+" Program.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Associations between 24-hour movement guidelines and health-related quality of life among urban preschool children in Singapore, Japan, and China.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2025Article
- The Role of Fundamental Movement Skills and Health-Related Fitness on Physical Activity During Guided Active Play for 8- to 10-Year-Old Children.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundActive play emphasizes the enjoyment of physical activity, it is affordable and unconstrained. In contrast, skill-oriented physical education, a mainstream physical activity intervention, is more formalized. However, the comparative effects of these interventions on fundamental movement skills in preschool children remain a subject of debate. PURPOSE: Determine the effectiveness of active play and compare it with skill-oriented physical education on fundamental movement skills.
methodsWe searched four databases (MEDLINE, ERIC, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus) from January 2004 to March 2024. Included studies assessed FMS in children aged 2-6 years, with active play interventions lasting ≥ 4 weeks. The effects of active play and skill-oriented physical education on total fundamental movement skills, locomotor skills, object control, and balance were calculated within random effects models (weighted SMD) in meta-analysis.
resultsThis systematic review included 23 studies involving 2201 preschool children, with 15 eligible for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed no significant differences in the effects of active play compared to skill-oriented physical education on total FMS, locomotor skills, object control, balance (p > 0.05). Subgroup analyses indicated that skill-oriented physical education marginally outperformed unstructured active play in total fundamental movement skills and locomotor skills (SMD=-1.0172, 95% CI -1.6748~ -0.3595, p = 0.0073; SMD=-1.6956, 95% CI -3.3511~ -0.0401, p = 0.0471).
conclusionsBoth structured active play and skill-oriented physical education are comparable effective in improving fundamental movement skills. However, unstructured active play is less effective. In resource-limited educational settings, structured active play may serve as a viable complement to partial skill-oriented physical education programming.
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