Previous research showed a positive relationship between physical activity and self-regulation in older children and adolescents, but few publications focused on young children. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to examine the impact of physical activity (PA) on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation (inhibition, attention, and working memory, in preschool-aged (3–6 years old) children. The following databases were searched for articles: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and ERIC. References of the reviewed papers were screened for the identification of additional articles to be included in the review. Randomized control trials were reviewed to assess the impact of PA interventions on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation. There were six articles included in this review. Each study assessed at least one cognitive aspect of self-regulation [attention (n = 4), working memory (n = 2), and inhibition (n = 5)]. Attention was the only aspect that consistently showed improvement as a result of the PA interventions (4 of 4 studies). Only one study showed a positive impact on working memory and 60% of studies (3 of 5 studies) reported a positive relationship between PA and inhibition. Overall, the findings from this review showed that a consistent relationship only existed between attention and PA. No clear relationships were evident between working memory and inhibition and PA.

Background: Body composition and motor skill development are important for the engagement in physical activity and healthy development of children. This study examined the associations between body composition and motor skill development in 3- to 5-year-old children. Methods: Data from preschool-aged children ( N = 342, 51% males) who participated in the 2012 National Youth Fitness Survey were analyzed. Skinfold measurements (subscapular, calf, and triceps) were taken and percent body fat (%BF) was calculated using sex-specific equations. Lean muscle mass and fat mass were also calculated. Motor skill development was determined by the Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd Edition . Regression analyses were performed to determine the associations among %BF and locomotor skills, object control skills, and overall gross motor quotient (GMQ), controlling for sex, race, and poverty index ratio. Results: Most children were classified as with underweight/healthy weight (69%) and 31% were either with overweight or obesity. Average %BF was 17.02% ± 0.27%. The standard scores for locomotor skills, object control skills, and GMQ were 9.99 ± 0.16, 8.52 ± 0.14, and 95.57 ± 0.68, respectively. These scores were considered average. Regression analyses indicated that neither the %BF nor sum of skinfolds was associated with locomotor skills ( β = −0.07 ± 0.05, p = 0.63; β = −0.03 ± 0.03, p = 0.22), object control skills ( β = 0.03 ± 0.04, p = 0.55; β = 0.00 ± 0.02, p = 0.87), or GMQ ( β = −0.13 ± 0.28, p = 0.63; β = −0.09 ± 0.14, p = 0.52). Furthermore, neither lean muscle mass nor fat mass was related with any motor skill measure ( p > 0.05). Conclusions: Using different measures of body composition may provide additional insight into associations between obesity and motor skill development in preschool-aged children. Given the inconsistent findings in the literature, additional research is needed to elucidate these associations.

Background: It is unclear whether assessments of motor proficiency are reliable for individuals with Down syndrome. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the test–retest reliability of the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short Form (BOT-2 SF) in youth with Down syndrome. Methods: Ten youth (ages 13.1–20.7 years) with Down syndrome completed the BOT-2 SF (14 items) plus a standing long jump on two separate occasions. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and standard error of measurement (SEM) were calculated to determine the test–retest reliability of the BOT-2 SF and the standing long jump. Results: The test–retest reliability of the BOT-2 SF overall scores and percentile rankings were considered excellent. The test–retest reliability of each of the subtests varied with classifications of poor (n = 5), fair to good (n = 6), and excellent (n = 4). Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that children with Down syndrome have reduced motor skills. However, there appears to be a lack of assessment tools that reliably evaluate the motor skills of this population. The results from this investigation suggest that the BOT-2-SF provides “excellent reliability” (≥0.75) to assess the motor skills in youth with Down syndrome.

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to examine comparability between 2 editions of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-second and TGMD-third edition) on (1) how children’s motor skills were categorized as average or below average, and (2) how children are screened for being at-risk for motor delay or with delayed motor skills. Methods : Participants were 226 children ( M _age = 53.4 mo, 125 boys). All children completed full TGMD-2 and TGMD-3. Children were classified as average or above (>25th percentile) or below average (≤25th percentile) and, when applicable, as developmental delay (≤5th percentile) or at-risk for developmental delay (6–25th percentile). We compared children’s classifications across TGMD editions using percent agreement and chi-squared tests. Results : The TGMD-2 and TGMD-3 had moderate agreement when categorizing children as below average (72.2% for total skills, 76.0% for locomotor skills, and 73% for ball skills). The TGMD-3 was significantly more likely to categorize children’s motor skill performance as average or above (all P < .01). Conclusion : TGMD-2 and TGMD-3 similarly screen children who demonstrate below average skills (≤25th percentile), but not for specific skill level classifications, including above average, at-risk for delays, and delayed.

Understanding the range of body sizes and shapes among children is critical for the design of products and systems to ensure safe and effective use and other safety considerations to reduce the risk of injury. The availability of useful data for youth is even more limited than for adults. To address this gap, methods were developed to gather detailed, integrated, three-dimensional (3D) data on anthropometry and to characterize the physical capability of children from ages 3 through 17 years. This paper provides an overview of the methods developed in a pilot study.