Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Orthopedics & Sports Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 December 2024 | Viewed by 2117

Special Issue Editors


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

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Educational and Developmental Sciences, College of Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Interests: developmental disabilities in children; motor behavior; motor development; motor competence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are thrilled to invite you to contribute this Special Issue of the journal Children focused 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" previously published in the journal Children (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/special_issues/5928VHHTS0), we are releasing a follow-up Special Issue with the aim 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 hope to inform strategies and interventions that can enhance the health and well-being of our 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.

Prof. Dr. Ali S. Brian
Guest Editor

Dr. Emily Munn
Guest Editor Assistant

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind 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

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

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

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

10 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Energy Expenditure of Sports School Activities in Children
by Daniel González-Devesa, Miguel Adriano Sanchez-Lastra, Carlos Ayán-Pérez, Nerea Blanco-Martínez, María Soutullo Rivas, María Vidal-Mariño and Silvia Varela
Children 2024, 11(8), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080946 - 5 Aug 2024
Viewed by 720
Abstract
(1) Background: This study explores the potential energy expenditure associated with participation in after-school sports activities among primary school children. (2) Methods: The study involved 129 children age (11.35 ± 0.55 years) recruited from eight different public after-school sport programs. (3) Results: Data [...] Read more.
(1) Background: This study explores the potential energy expenditure associated with participation in after-school sports activities among primary school children. (2) Methods: The study involved 129 children age (11.35 ± 0.55 years) recruited from eight different public after-school sport programs. (3) Results: Data analyses revealed significant differences between the eight sports in total calories per session, calories per minute, and METs (p < 0.05). All sports showed higher energy expenditure compared to chess (p < 0.05), with soccer and rugby exhibiting the highest energy expenditure per session. Team sports showed elevated energy consumption per session (p < 0.01, r > 0.30), calories per minute (p = 0.01, r > 0.40), and METs (p < 0.01, r > 0.40) in comparison with individual sports. (4) Conclusions: These findings enhance our understanding of the energy expenditure observed in primary school children following various after-school sports activities. The results indicate that team sports, in particular, are pivotal in elevating physical activity levels, thereby playing an essential role in fostering healthier lifestyles among children. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 1359 KiB  
Article
Child Motor Development before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: Are There Social Inequalities?
by Mariann Rigó and Simone Weyers
Children 2024, 11(8), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080936 - 31 Jul 2024
Viewed by 966
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 pandemic has influenced all children’s motor development. We examine whether this differs by social circumstances. We hypothesise that socially disadvantaged children experienced more pronounced motor problems compared with better-off children. Methods: Our trend study includes three representative waves of preschoolers (school [...] Read more.
Background: COVID-19 pandemic has influenced all children’s motor development. We examine whether this differs by social circumstances. We hypothesise that socially disadvantaged children experienced more pronounced motor problems compared with better-off children. Methods: Our trend study includes three representative waves of preschoolers (school years 2018/19, 2019/20, 2023/24) from a German school enrolment medical screening. Based on logistic regressions, we computed predicted prevalences of motor problems separately for children in different social circumstances (neighbourhood, migration background, family status). Results: Motor development of preschoolers slightly worsened by 2023 compared to pre-pandemic level (6.3 percent 2018 to 7.4 percent 2023). Results by neighbourhood highlight that preschoolers from well-off districts experienced a deterioration of motor development (4.9 percent 2018–6.4 percent 2023). The prevalence of motor problems is, however, below that of children from deprived neighbourhoods with consistently high prevalence (9.2–10 percent). Results by migration background show a worsening trend for children without migration background and the gap between the groups disappears in 2023. Results by family status do not indicate significant differences. Conclusion: Contrary to our hypothesis, socially disadvantaged children experienced smaller change in motor problems. However, our results highlight the potential of structured physical activities in daycare centres and sports facilities to enhance the motor development of these children. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop