What makes John move? Outdoor play physical environmental factors changing a child’s activity from sedentary to physically active: longitudinal mixed-method case study

Children’s low physical activity levels call for an investigation of what can promote activity for excessively sedentary children. The purpose of this longitudinal mixed-method case study in an early childhood education (ECE) environment was to observe one sedentary child’s free outdoor playtime in four seasons and determine the physical environmental factors changing his activity from sedentary to physically active. Systematic observation of video material and quantitative analysis were used to identify the most sedentary individual of the one ECE group. The child was named “John”. Qualitative analysis of John’s video material showed that during the four seasons he spent an average of 25% of the playtime doing sedentary activity and 75% of the playtime doing physically active activity during 60-minute free outdoor play sessions. There were a total of 71 physical environmental factors related to John’s change in outdoor activity in the various seasons: man-made objects, such as play equipment, observed 28 times (39%); natural materials, such as water, sand and snow, observed 25 times (35%); and free spaces in the yard observed 18 times (26%). The number of factors was highest in the summer and lowest in the spring. Seasonal changes and conditions unique to Scandinavia may make outdoor play environment in ECE physically activating

Motorisissa taidoissa eroja Suomen eri osissa

Lasten motoriset taidot paranevat iän myötä. Liikunnan harrastaminen ja ulkona vietetty aika sekä temperamentti piirteet, kuten lapsen aktiivisuus ja kyky ylläpitää tarkkaavaisuutta, tukevat motoristen taitojen kehittymistä. Maaseudun lapsilla on parhaat motoriset taidot Suomessa.nonPeerReviewe

Skilled kids around Finland : the motor competence and perceived motor competence of children in childcare and associated socioecological factors

The main objective of this study was to examine motor competence (MC) and perceived motor competence (PMC) in Finnish children attending childcare through the following research questions: 1) What is the level of MC and PMC in children living in different regions of Finland? and 2) Which socioecological factors are associated with their MC and PMC? The sample consisted of 945 children (mean 5.42 yrs., boys n = 473, girls n = 472) and their families, recruited via cluster-randomised childcare centres (n = 37) considering the geographical locations and residential densities of the childcare centres. MC was assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development, third version (TGMD-3; Ulrich 2019) and Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK; Kiphard & Schilling 2007). PMC was assessed with the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC; Barnett, Ridgers, Zask, & Salmon 2015) for young children. Information on socioecological factors and the child’s temperament were collected via parental questionnaires. Additionally, weight and height were directly measured, and children’s body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS) was calculated. Appropriate statistical analyses were performed, including linear regression models. As a result, MC seemed to increase but PMC to decrease as a function of age. Gender differences were found with the TGMD-3 and PMSC but not with KTK. Based on living environment, some differences were found as children from the countryside, spending most of the time outdoors, outperformed children from other regions in the TGMD-3. Children living in the metropolitan area participated the most in organised sport. Regarding socioecological factors, MC was positively associated with age, participation in organised sport and temperament traits such as activity and attention span persistence. Regarding PMC, younger age and higher levels of BMI SDS, participation in organised sport and the TGMD-3 gross motor index were associated with higher PMSC. In conclusion, the individual-level correlates appear to be the most important for MC and PMC, including age and gender. Therefore, age-appropriate tasks should be available for children. Gender differences and other related factors seem to vary to some extent in different MC assessment tools. Thus, the choice of test battery is crucial. As participation in organised sport was associated with better scoring on MC and PMC, it seems that in early childhood, motor development benefits from sport-related hobbies. Yet, as children from the countryside had the best MC, one should not forget the importance of outdoor play, everyday life choices and a supporting environment that helps to promote more daily physical activity in early childhood.Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tuottaa tietoa suomalaisten päiväkotilasten motorisista taidoista sekä koetusta motorisesta pätevyydestä. Tutkimuskysymykset olivat 1) Minkälaiset ovat päiväkotilasten motoriset taidot ja koettu motorinen pätevyys eri puolella Suomea? ja 2) Mitkä sosioekologiset tekijät ovat yhteydessä motorisiin taitoihin ja koettuun motoriseen pätevyyteen? Tutkimukseen osallistui yhteensä 945 lasta (ka 5,42 vuotta, poikia 473, tyttöjä 472) perheineen. Tutkimukseen valittiin satunnaistetulla ryväsotannalla 37 päiväkotia eri puolilta Suomea. Satunnaistamisessa huomioitiin päiväkodin maantieteellinen sijainti sekä alueen asukastiheys. Motoriset taidot mitattiin Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3; Ulrich 2019) ja Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK; Kiphard & Schilling 2007) mittareilla. Koettu motorinen pätevyys mitattiin the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC; Barnett, Ridgers, Zask, & Salmon 2015) for young children –testiosiolla. Sosioekologisia tekijöitä sekä lapsen temperamenttia selvitettiin vanhemmilta kyselylomakkeiden avulla. Lapsen paino ja pituus mitattiin huomioiden ikävakioitu kehon painoindeksi. Aineiston käsittely perustui lineaariseen regressiomalliin. Tutkimuksen päätulokseksi saatiin, että lasten motoriset taidot kehittyvät iän myötä, mutta koetussa motorisessa pätevyydessä iän vaikutus oli päinvastainen eli laskeva. Motorisissa taidoissa (TGMD-3) ja koetussa motorisessa pätevyydessä (PMSC) havaittiin eroja sukupuolten välillä. Asukastiheyden perusteella maaseudun lapset olivat parempia motorisissa taidoissaan (TGMD-3) ja he viettivät eniten aikaa ulkona päiväkotipäivän jälkeen. Pääkaupunkiseudun ja Etelä-Suomen lapset osallistuivat eniten ohjattuihin liikuntaharrastuksiin. Vahvin yhteys motorisiin taitoihin oli lapsen vanhemmalla iällä ja liikuntaharrastamisella, sekä yksilöllisillä temperamentin piirteillä, kuten aktiivisella reagointitavalla ja kyvyllä ylläpitää tarkkaavaisuutta. Vahvin yhteys puolestaan koettuun motoriseen pätevyyteen oli lapsen nuoremmalla iällä, korkeammalla kehon painoindeksillä, osallistumisella liikuntaharrastuksiin sekä korkeammalla motorisen taidon tasolla. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että yksilölliset tekijät, kuten esimerkiksi lapsen ikä ja sukupuoli, selittävät eniten motorisia taitoja sekä koettua motorista pätevyyttä. Lisäksi motoriikan eri mittareiden havaittiin tuottavan osittain erilaisia tuloksia, joten motoriikan mittaamisessa testimenetelmän valinta on tärkeää. Ohjattuihin liikuntaharrastuksiin osallistuminen oli yhteydessä parempiin motorisiin taitoihin. Siitä huolimatta maaseudun lapsilla oli parhaimmat motoriset taidot, joten on tärkeää huomioida myös vapaan leikin ja ulkona vietetyn ajan merkitys motoristen taitojen kehityksessä ja monipuolisessa tukemisessa

Outdoor activities and motor development in 2–7-year-old boys and girls

Problem Statement: Parents of young children favor indoor activities for their children, because staying inside supports comfortable daily routines in the family timetable, safety issues and clothing. However, playing outdoors supports children’s development, offering multiple challenges to overcome and the possibility to learn new skills. Approach: Based on Gibson’s theory of affordances (1977), outdoors can be seen as an excellent learning environment for children to reach the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1987). Purpose: This paper describes Finnish nature and four seasons as an environment to support children’s motor development and inspire outdoor playing. The Skilled kids participants (N= 1136, 2- to 7-year-old children) were chosen by cluster randomization from childcare centers representing young children’s motor competence in geographically different parts of Finland. Children’s motor competence was measured with the Test of Gross Motor Development, TGMD-3 (Ulrich, 2019). Results: Young children living in countryside and in small cities had better motor competence and spent more time playing outdoors than children living in metropolitan area. This difference in the amount of outdoor play and the motor competence underlines the importance of outdoor facilities. The description of the Finnish outdoor environment, such as forest, water, snow and ice, reveals environmental factors that may attract and motivate children to challenge their motor abilities. Therefore, the environment can support physically active playing, increasing young children’s overall physical activity and motor competence. Conclusions: Versatile environments stimulate children’s motor development. Parents and teachers of young children should be encouraged to let their children play outdoors during all seasons in different weather conditions. Appropriate clothing guarantees free playing, daily timetables in day care should allow outdoor playing sessions, and outdoor play yards should have large area with different affordances for children’s free use.peerReviewe

Children's Types of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Day Care Environment during Outdoor Play over the Course of Four Seasons in Finland

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Erilaiset liikkujapolut huomioitava lapsilähtöisesti

Ohjaajat ja valmentajat tarvitsevat pedagogisia taitoja, jotta he voisivat tukea harrastajien kiinnittymistä liikuntaan.nonPeerReviewe

Individual, Family, and Environmental Correlates of Motor Competence in Young Children : Regression Model Analysis of Data Obtained from Two Motor Tests

Physical activity and motor competence (MC) have been considered to be closely related and prevent childhood obesity. The aim of the study was two-fold: to examine MC measured with two different tools in relation to individual, family, and environmental correlates and to investigate gender differences in MC. The Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3) was administered to three- to seven-year-old children (n = 945), while the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) was also used for five- to seven-year-old children (n = 444). The parent questionnaire (n = 936) included questions about individual (e.g., participation in organized sports), family (e.g., parents’ education level), and environmental (e.g., access to sports facilities) correlates. The children’s temperament was assessed using the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory (CCTI) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and linear mixed-effects regression models. The regression models explained 57% and 38% of the variance in TGMD-3 and KTK, respectively. Individual correlates, including older age, more frequent participation in sports, and specific temperament traits of activity and attention span-persistence, were the strongest predictors for better MC. Small gender differences were found in both assessment tools, albeit in a different manner. In conclusion, socioecological correlates of MC in young children are multidimensional, and individual correlates appear to be the most important predictors of MC. Importantly, the correlates can differ according to the MC assessment tools.peerReviewe

Child perceived motor competence as a moderator between physical activity parenting and child objectively measured physical activity

This longitudinal study aimed to examine how physical activity parenting (PAP) directly predicted objectively measured children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentariness over a three-year transitional period from early to middle childhood, and second, whether the children’s perception of motor competence (PMC) mediated or moderated the influence of PAP to children’s MVPA or sedentariness. At time 1 (T1), PAP and children’s (N = 396, mean age 5.80, SD 1.04) PA were assessed by parental questionnaire. Three years later, at time 2 (T2), children’s (N = 396, mean age 8.80, SD 1.04) PMC was measured by a validated pictorial scale, and MVPA and sedentariness were measured by accelerometers. All the analyses were conducted using the Mplus statistical package (Version 8.4). The models were adjusted for the following covariates: children’s PA (T1), gender (T1), age (T1), mean accelerometer measurement in hours per day (T2), and parents’ education level (T1). Results showed that PAP at T1 did not significantly predict level of MVPA or sedentary time at T2 and, therefore, PMC did not mediate the PAP-children’s MVPA or sedentary time relationship either. However, PMC significantly moderated the relationship between PAP and MVPA but not between PAP and sedentary time. The results suggested that parental support positively predicts children’s MVPA among children with low PMC but not among children with high PMC. This unique finding proposes that family-based PA interventions could benefit from screening of children with low PMC and provision of PA counselling to their parents.peerReviewe

Perceived motor competence in early childhood predicts perceived and actual motor competence in middle childhood

The study aims were to (1) identify perceived motor competence (PMC) and actual motor competence (AMC) profiles in children at two time points (early and middle childhood) 3 years apart, (2) explore transitions between the profiles from T1 to T2, and (3) investigate how PMC-AMC profiles at T1 differ in their mean values for AMC and PMC variables at T2. PMC was assessed by the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for young children (PMSC). At T1, AMC was measured with Test of Gross Motor Development–third version (TGMD-3), and at T2, a shortened TGMD-3 was used. To identify the PMC-AMC profiles using latent profile analysis, the Mplus statistical package (version 8.7) was used. For aim 3, the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) method was used. There were 480 children (mean age 6.26 years, 51.9% boys) at T1, 647 children (mean age 8.76 years, 48.8% boys) at T2 (some children were too young to have the PMC assessment at T1), and 292 at both time points. For aim 1, three profiles were identified at each time point for each gender. Boys had two realistic profiles with medium and low levels of PMC-AMC, and an overestimation profile. Girls had a medium realistic profile, an overestimation, and an underestimation profile. The PMC-AMC profile in early childhood predicted the PMC-AMC profile (aim 2) and AMC and PMC variables (aim 3) in middle childhood, especially if a child had low PMC in early childhood. Children with low PMC in early childhood are at risk of low PMC and less AMC development in middle childhood.peerReviewe