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Article

Tracing the Cognitive–Motor Connection: Prospective-Longitudinal Associations Between Early Parent–Toddler Literacy Activities and Subsequent Gross Motor Skills at School Entry

by
Nairy Kazandjian
1,2,
Kianoush Harandian
1,2,3,
Marie-Michèle Dufour
1,
Elena A. Chichinina
4,
Michel Desmurget
5 and
Linda S. Pagani
1,2,3,*
1
School of Psycho-Education, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
2
School Environment Research Group, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
3
Sainte-Justine’s Pediatric Hospital Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
4
Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
5
Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Université de Lyon, 69361 Bron, France
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Children 2025, 12(11), 1431; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111431
Submission received: 26 August 2025 / Revised: 17 October 2025 / Accepted: 20 October 2025 / Published: 23 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical and Motor Development in Children)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Background/objectives: Early literacy is widely promoted, yet its broader developmental benefits remain underexamined regarding key indicators of brain development. This study examines whether early literacy exposure in toddlerhood predicts motor skill development at the end of kindergarten. Methods: Participants comprised 1006 boys and 991 girls from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) birth cohort. Early literacy stimulation was measured at age 2 years using parent reports of frequency of shared reading, looking at books or comics, and pre-writing activities such as scribbling and tracing. At age 6 years, child motor development was assessed by trained examiners. Sex-stratified multiple regression models were examined, adjusting for pre-existing and concurrent child and family characteristics. Results: Early literacy stimulation was significantly associated with better motor control skills among girls (β = 0.10, p < 0.05). For boys, a non-significant positive trend was observed for both motor and locomotion skills. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the lasting influence of early literacy stimulation and subsequent motor skills—particularly for girls who may receive less gross motor encouragement than boys. As such, promoting literacy-rich environments in toddlerhood is a family strategy to support healthy, confident, and active youth development.
Keywords: literacy stimulation; motor development; motor skills; sensitive periods; embodied cognition; parent–child activities; child development literacy stimulation; motor development; motor skills; sensitive periods; embodied cognition; parent–child activities; child development

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Kazandjian, N.; Harandian, K.; Dufour, M.-M.; Chichinina, E.A.; Desmurget, M.; Pagani, L.S. Tracing the Cognitive–Motor Connection: Prospective-Longitudinal Associations Between Early Parent–Toddler Literacy Activities and Subsequent Gross Motor Skills at School Entry. Children 2025, 12, 1431. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111431

AMA Style

Kazandjian N, Harandian K, Dufour M-M, Chichinina EA, Desmurget M, Pagani LS. Tracing the Cognitive–Motor Connection: Prospective-Longitudinal Associations Between Early Parent–Toddler Literacy Activities and Subsequent Gross Motor Skills at School Entry. Children. 2025; 12(11):1431. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111431

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kazandjian, Nairy, Kianoush Harandian, Marie-Michèle Dufour, Elena A. Chichinina, Michel Desmurget, and Linda S. Pagani. 2025. "Tracing the Cognitive–Motor Connection: Prospective-Longitudinal Associations Between Early Parent–Toddler Literacy Activities and Subsequent Gross Motor Skills at School Entry" Children 12, no. 11: 1431. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111431

APA Style

Kazandjian, N., Harandian, K., Dufour, M.-M., Chichinina, E. A., Desmurget, M., & Pagani, L. S. (2025). Tracing the Cognitive–Motor Connection: Prospective-Longitudinal Associations Between Early Parent–Toddler Literacy Activities and Subsequent Gross Motor Skills at School Entry. Children, 12(11), 1431. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111431

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