Goal-oriented play activity encourages children to exercise and triggers the movement of body muscles. Active muscles are stronger, more agile, faster, and more powerful. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine that goal-oriented play activity in early childhood improves motor skills. Methods: Forty children aged 4.5–6 years old were recruited and took part in a set of training activities divided into Posts 1–5. To pass each post, a child had to run, walk on a balance beam, move sticks, throw and catch the ball, and arrange blocks. Training was given three times every week for 12 weeks. Data collected consisted of running 25 m, walking on the balance beam, throwing the ball as far as possible, locomotor movement, arranging cans, and bouncing the ball. Paired t and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for analysis. Results: The results showed that there were significant differences in the motor skills evaluated pre- and post-training with p < 0.05. Conclusion: All six training activities conducted for 12 weeks provided significant improvements in the motor skills areas in children aged 4.5–6 years old.

Introduction: Exergames have the potential to enable persons with disabilities to take part in physical activities that are of appropriate “dose-potency” and enjoyable within a relatively safe home environment. It overcomes some of the challenges regarding transportation difficulties in getting to commercial gymnasium facilities, reducing physical activities perceived as “boring” or getting access into the built environment that may be “wheelchair unfriendly”. Objective: This systematic review assessed available evidence whether “exergaming” could be a feasible modality for contributing to a recommended exercise prescription according to current ACSM™ or WHO guidelines for physical activity. Methods: Strategies used to search for published articles were conducted using separate search engines (Google Scholar™, PubMed™ and Web of Science™) on cardiometabolic responses and perceived exertion during exergaming among neurologically-disabled populations possessing similar physical disabilities. Each study was categorized using the SCIRE-Pedro evidence scale. Results: Ten of the 144 articles assessed were identified and met specific inclusion criteria. Key outcome measures included responses, such as energy expenditure, heart rate and perceived exertion. Twelve out of the 17 types of exergaming interventions met the ACSM™ or WHO recommendations of “moderate intensity” physical activity. Exergames such as Wii Jogging, Bicycling, Boxing, DDR and GameCycle reported moderate physical activity intensities. While Wii Snowboarding, Skiing and Bowling only produced light intensities. Conclusion: Preliminary cross-sectional evidence in this review suggested that exergames have the potential to provide moderate intensity physical activity as recommended by ACSM™ or WHO in populations with neurological disabilities. However, more research is needed to document exergaming’s efficacy from longitudinal observations before definitive conclusions can be drawn. Implications for Rehabilitation Exergaming can be deployed as physical activity or exercise using commercially available game consoles for neurologically disabled individuals in the convenience of their home environment and at a relatively inexpensive cost Moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercises can be achieved during exergaming in this population of persons with neurological disabilities. Exergaming can also be engaging and enjoyable, yet achieve the recommended physical activity guidelines proposed by ACSM™ or WHO for health and fitness benefits. Exergaming as physical activity in this population is feasible for individuals with profound disabilities, since it can be used even in sitting position for wheelchair-dependent users, thus providing variability in terms of exercise options. In the context of comprehensive rehabilitation, exergaming should be viewed by the clinician as “at least as good as” (and likely more enjoyable) than traditional arm-exercise modalities, with equivalent aerobic dose-potency as “traditional” exercise in clinic or home environments.

Objective: Studies investigating the effects of exergaming in available platforms are still limited. This review aims to systematically identify available studies on physiological intensities of exergaming boxing in able-bodied adults and recategorize them based on different platforms or environments. The meta-analysis further analyzes the physiological responses during exergaming boxing into a set of pooled data for any evidence of outliers, heterogeneity, or publication bias. Materials and Methods: A systematic search was conducted by using databases from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science. Population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes (PICO) and preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used in the study selection process for the review. Results: From the 1534 articles examined, 16 articles were included for further analyses. Results indicated that exergaming boxing exhibits a wide range of metabolic equivalent of task (MET) values and intensity, from very light to vigorous, with elements of heterogeneity and bias detected. The Xbox^® Kinect boxing platform produced higher MET (mean = 5.3) compared with the Nintendo^® Wii^™ boxing (mean = 3.8). Conclusion: The results of this review suggest that boxing exergames can produce intensity-adequate physical activity among younger adults that are beneficial for cardiometabolic improvements, regardless of platforms used. Exergaming boxing may be employed as an effective exercise tool to increase energy expenditure and physical activity level in young adults.

Objective: Commercially available exergames that are for wheelchair-bound individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are scarce. This study sought to identify exergames for individuals with SCI that are “dose-potent” for health benefits. Materials and Methods: Six participants with SCI were recruited for a pilot study to investigate the exercise intensity of selected exergames (Move Tennis, Move Boxing, and Move Gladiator Duel) for the potential to improve health. Issues relating to exergaming for individuals with SCI were identified, and a Move Kayaking exergame was conceived using relevant design processes in an iterative manner. These processes included the following: participant needs and requirements, system requirements (hardware), system architecture (physical and operational views), and integration and verification of the finished system. Emphasis was given to operational and physical designs of the Move Kayaking exergame. Results: Move Boxing, Move Gladiator Duel, and Move Kayaking achieved moderate intensity exercise, while Move Tennis only achieved exercise of low intensity based on participants' metabolic equivalent. However, all four exergames achieved at least moderate intensity based on individuals' ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Conclusion: The intensity classification while playing Move Boxing, Move Tennis, Move Gladiator Duel, and Move Kayaking, using RPE, reported adequate exercise intensities prescribed by exercise guidelines.

Article: Exergaming boxing versus heavy-bag boxing: are these equipotent for individuals with spinal cord injury? - European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2017 August;53(4):527-34 - Minerva Medica - Journals