Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play
Background/Objectives: Trajectories of fundamental movement skill (FMS) development start diverging in females and males in early childhood, with determinants of this divergence spanning from individual to social and environmental factors. The present cross-sectional study focuses on the role of fre...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Valentina Biino Caterina Pesce Clarice Martins |
| author_facet | Valentina Biino Caterina Pesce Clarice Martins |
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| description | Background/Objectives: Trajectories of fundamental movement skill (FMS) development start diverging in females and males in early childhood, with determinants of this divergence spanning from individual to social and environmental factors. The present cross-sectional study focuses on the role of free outdoor play and aims to investigate whether sex differences in FMS typically observed in early childhood are associated with participation in free outdoor play. Methods: One hundred and forty-two children aged 4.3 ± 0.8 yrs were evaluated for locomotor and object control skills (TGMD-3), weight status (BMI), and free outdoor play (parent-reported). Motor skill competence scores were submitted to moderated regression analyses to evaluate the individual and joint effects of sex, outdoor play, age, and BMI; interrelations among these variables were also estimated with network analysis. Results: Results of the moderated regression showed, beyond the expected prediction of motor skill competence (overall and object control skills) by sex and age, also a significant sex x outdoor play interaction, with higher motor skills being predicted by more frequent outdoor play in males only. The network analysis confirmed a positive association between outdoor play and motor skill competence in males but not in females. Conclusions: Males might capitalize on free outdoor play opportunities as early as preschool age to engage in activities that promote their motor and especially object control skill development. Longitudinal studies are needed to test causality and derive practical indications for enabling both males and females to fully exploit the opportunities provided by free outdoor play to exercise both locomotor and object control skills. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-11e480e39b5f4de8809b9b8df1d8de8d2025-08-20T01:56:25ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672025-05-0112559410.3390/children12050594Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free PlayValentina Biino0Caterina Pesce1Clarice Martins2Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, 37131 Verona, ItalyDepartment of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ‘Foro Italico’, 00135 Rome, ItalyResearch Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure and Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, PortugalBackground/Objectives: Trajectories of fundamental movement skill (FMS) development start diverging in females and males in early childhood, with determinants of this divergence spanning from individual to social and environmental factors. The present cross-sectional study focuses on the role of free outdoor play and aims to investigate whether sex differences in FMS typically observed in early childhood are associated with participation in free outdoor play. Methods: One hundred and forty-two children aged 4.3 ± 0.8 yrs were evaluated for locomotor and object control skills (TGMD-3), weight status (BMI), and free outdoor play (parent-reported). Motor skill competence scores were submitted to moderated regression analyses to evaluate the individual and joint effects of sex, outdoor play, age, and BMI; interrelations among these variables were also estimated with network analysis. Results: Results of the moderated regression showed, beyond the expected prediction of motor skill competence (overall and object control skills) by sex and age, also a significant sex x outdoor play interaction, with higher motor skills being predicted by more frequent outdoor play in males only. The network analysis confirmed a positive association between outdoor play and motor skill competence in males but not in females. Conclusions: Males might capitalize on free outdoor play opportunities as early as preschool age to engage in activities that promote their motor and especially object control skill development. Longitudinal studies are needed to test causality and derive practical indications for enabling both males and females to fully exploit the opportunities provided by free outdoor play to exercise both locomotor and object control skills.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/5/594motor competencespontaneous playearly childhoodsex difference |
| spellingShingle | Valentina Biino Caterina Pesce Clarice Martins Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play Children motor competence spontaneous play early childhood sex difference |
| title | Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play |
| title_full | Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play |
| title_fullStr | Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play |
| title_full_unstemmed | Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play |
| title_short | Motor Skill Development at Preschool Age in Girls and Boys: The Role of Outdoor Free Play |
| title_sort | motor skill development at preschool age in girls and boys the role of outdoor free play |
| topic | motor competence spontaneous play early childhood sex difference |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/5/594 |
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