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Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children...
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Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2026) | Viewed by 1443

Editor

Dr. Ali S. Brian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical Education, College of Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Interests: motor behavior; early childhood motor skill intervention; assessment; adapted physical activity/education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are thrilled to invite you to contribute this Special Issue of the journal Children, which will focus on motor competence and physical activity in school children. In an era marked by the increasing prevalence of sedentary lifestyles and a decline in physical activity among children, this Special Issue aims to shed light on the critical relationship between motor competence and physical activity levels in school-aged children.

Considering the success and popularity of the Special Issue ‘Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children’ published previously in the journal Children (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/special_issues/5928VHHTS0), we are pleased to release this follow-up Special Issue, which aims to provide a platform for researchers to explore various aspects of motor competence, ranging from fundamental motor skill development to the promotion of physical activity in educational settings. We encourage submissions that examine the impact of motor competence on overall health, academic performance, and psychosocial well-being in children. By fostering a deeper understanding of these inter-related factors, we aim to inform strategies and interventions that can enhance the health and well-being of the youngest generation.

We look forward to receiving your innovative contributions, which will help shape the future of children's physical activity and motor competence research.

Dr. Ali S. Brian
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • motor competence
  • physical activity
  • school-aged children
  • fundamental motor skills
  • health-related fitness
  • academic performance

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 230 KB  
Article
Effect of a Psychomotor Intervention on Motor Competence, Graphomotor Performance and Writing Proficiency in 5- to 6-Year-Old Preschool Children
by Nerea Blanco-Martínez, Daniel González-Devesa, Eva María Doval-Garabatos and Carlos Ayán-Pérez
Children 2026, 13(7), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13070973 - 22 Jul 2026
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Early handwriting and motor skills underpin later academic success, yet robust evidence for psychomotor programs in preschoolers is limited. This study examined whether participation in a six-week psychomotor intervention was associated with changes in graphomotor performance, writing proficiency, and motor competence [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Early handwriting and motor skills underpin later academic success, yet robust evidence for psychomotor programs in preschoolers is limited. This study examined whether participation in a six-week psychomotor intervention was associated with changes in graphomotor performance, writing proficiency, and motor competence in preschool children. Methods: This non-randomized quasi-experimental study included pre- and post-intervention assessments and a control group. Thirty-four preschoolers were assigned by class to an intervention group (n = 19) or a control group (n = 15). For six weeks, the intervention group completed three 50 min psychomotor sessions per week targeting fine- and gross-motor abilities, whereas the control group continued its usual school routine. Graphomotor performance (Pascual Graphomotor Test), writing proficiency (seven-item teacher scale) and motor competence (Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2) were assessed one week before and after the program. Results: The intervention group showed significant improvements in graphomotor performance and all motor-skill tasks assessed. Between-group comparisons of pre–post change favored the intervention group for the total graphomotor score (mean difference = −3.14 points, 95% CI [−4.59, −1.68]; p < 0.001; Hedges’ g = −1.48) and for all four motor-skill tasks (p ≤ 0.019). At post-intervention, pencil grip was the only writing proficiency item showing a significant between-group difference (p = 0.002; Cramér’s V = 0.617), whereas no significant differences were observed for the remaining items. Conclusions: A psychomotor intervention was associated with greater improvements in motor competence and graphomotor performance compared with the control condition. However, evidence for broader improvements in writing proficiency, including handwriting legibility, was limited. Although pencil grip differed between groups at post-intervention, this finding should be interpreted cautiously because the groups already differed at baseline. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children (2nd Edition))
17 pages, 398 KB  
Article
Postural Stability, Rather than Strength–Coordination, Is Associated with Executive Functions in Preschool Children: A Structural Equation Modeling Study
by Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf, Josivaldo de Souza-Lima, Frano Giakoni-Ramírez, Catalina Muñoz-Strale, Maribel Parra-Saldias, Daniel Duclos-Bastias, Claudio Farias-Valenzuela, Eugenio Merellano-Navarro and José Bruneau-Chávez
Children 2026, 13(7), 898; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13070898 - 6 Jul 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Executive functions and motor performance develop rapidly during early childhood and may be closely interconnected. However, it remains unclear whether specific motor domains are more strongly associated with executive functioning than others. This study examined the relationships among executive functions, motor performance, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Executive functions and motor performance develop rapidly during early childhood and may be closely interconnected. However, it remains unclear whether specific motor domains are more strongly associated with executive functioning than others. This study examined the relationships among executive functions, motor performance, physical activity, and waist circumference in preschool children using structural equation modeling (SEM). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 364 preschool children aged 4–7 years from Temuco, Chile. Executive functions were assessed using the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI). Motor performance included postural stability and strength–coordination indicators derived from the PREFIT battery and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2. Physical activity was assessed using the Krece Plus questionnaire. SEM was used to examine direct and indirect statistical associations among variables while adjusting for age and sex. Results: The final SEM showed acceptable fit to the data (CFI = 0.915; TLI = 0.882; RMSEA = 0.054). Postural stability was significantly associated with executive functions (β = −0.268, p = 0.016), whereas strength–coordination was not. Physical activity positively predicted postural stability (β = 0.099, p = 0.024), while waist circumference negatively predicted postural stability (β = −0.095, p = 0.032). An indirect statistical association between waist circumference and executive functions through postural stability was observed. The model explained 9.6% of the variance in executive functions. Conclusions: In preschool children, executive functioning appeared to be more closely associated with postural stability than with broader strength–coordination performance. Although the observed associations were modest in magnitude, the findings suggest that balance-related motor processes may be relevant for understanding motor–executive function associations during early childhood. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to clarify the nature and direction of these associations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children (2nd Edition))
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10 pages, 304 KB  
Article
The Health-Related Quality of Life and Putative Factors of Icelandic and American Youth with Multiple Disabilities Including Visual Impairments: A Preliminary Investigation
by Ali Brian, Andrea Taliaferro, Pamela Beach, Benjamin Lytle, Adam Pennell, Lauren Lieberman and Ingi Einarsson
Children 2026, 13(3), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13030351 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 579
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a critical indicator of developmental progress, educational engagement, and psychosocial resilience. By identifying both shared and context-specific differences in HRQoL, we aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of well-being that can inform the development [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a critical indicator of developmental progress, educational engagement, and psychosocial resilience. By identifying both shared and context-specific differences in HRQoL, we aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of well-being that can inform the development of assessment approaches and future research tailored to the diverse contexts in which children with disabilities live and learn. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore HRQoL and its putative influencing factors among youth with multiple disabilities across two distinct cultural settings, the United States and Iceland. Methods: Participants (N = 26; Icelandic = 50%; Mage = 16.34 ± 2.33 years) completed height, weight, the Test of Perceived Physical Competence (TPPC), Supine-to-Stand (STS), Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA), and VISIONS QL. We conducted five, 2 group × 2 sex ANOVA and several independent samples t-tests within groups by sex for our variables of interest. Results: There was a significant difference between Icelandic boys and girls for BMI (p = 0.087, d = 0.65) and STS (p = 0.027, d = 1.04). Conversely, a significant difference was found in the American group between boys and girls for RAPA (p = 0.092, d = 0.81) and TPPC (p = 0.068, d = 0.92). Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that patterns in objective and self-reported health indicators may vary by context. These results highlight the importance of considering both measured performance and self-perceived health when examining HRQoL among adolescents with multiple disabilities, while underscoring the need for further research in larger samples to clarify these relationships. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children (2nd Edition))
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