Tan Jernice S Y, Chia Michael Y H
Physical Education and Sports Science, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
PeerJ. 2025 Jul 31;13:e19698. doi: 10.7717/peerj.19698. eCollection 2025.
Understanding the motor competence development of young children requires both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. This is crucial for identifying relative age effects and tracking individual developmental trajectories. However, there are limited data in Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore.
This study monitored the development of motor competence of 75 children in Singapore, aged 3-4.5 years, over an 18-month period. Four data points were conducted using the Movement Assessment for Children, 2nd Edition (MABC-2) at six-month intervals. Data were analyzed using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple comparisons.
Cross-sectional analysis revealed a positive age effect across all eight motor tasks, with older children demonstrating higher fine and gross motor competence. Longitudinal analysis showed significant improvement in seven out of eight motor tasks over the 18-month period, except for the task of jumping on mats.
The most pronounced age effect was observed between children aged 3.5 and 4.0 years, suggesting a potential period of accelerated motor development within this age range. The significant improvements in motor competence observed over the 18-month period underscore the critical nature of early childhood for motor skill acquisition. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of frequent monitoring (, every 6 months) to identify children with motor delays and facilitate timely interventions.
了解幼儿运动能力的发展需要横断面分析和纵向分析。这对于识别相对年龄效应和追踪个体发展轨迹至关重要。然而，东南亚地区的数据有限，尤其是在新加坡。
本研究对新加坡75名3至4.5岁的儿童进行了为期18个月的运动能力发展监测。每隔六个月使用儿童运动评估第二版（MABC-2）进行四个数据点的测量。数据采用重复测量多元方差分析（MANOVA）、双向方差分析（ANOVA）和多重比较进行分析。
横断面分析显示，在所有八项运动任务中均存在正向年龄效应，年龄较大的儿童表现出更高的精细和粗大运动能力。纵向分析表明，在18个月的时间里，八项运动任务中有七项有显著改善，除了在垫子上跳跃这项任务。
在3.5至4.0岁的儿童之间观察到最明显的年龄效应，表明在这个年龄范围内可能存在运动发展加速期。在18个月期间观察到的运动能力显著改善突出了幼儿期在运动技能习得方面的关键性质。此外，该研究强调了频繁监测（每6个月一次）对于识别运动发育迟缓儿童并促进及时干预的重要性。
