Construction of Physical Movement Games to Improve Motor Movement Ability for Preschool Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2026.e293471Keywords:
Physical Movement Games, Motor Movement Ability, Preschool ChildrenAbstract
Background and Aims: The main objective of this research was to develop physical movement games to improve motor ability in preschool children.
Methodology: This study employed a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative research. The participants consisted of 225 kindergarten children in Sichuan Province, who were assessed using the TGMD-3 test, and 5 physical education teachers, who were interviewed. Validity checks were conducted with three experts for teachers and expert interview questionnaires (IOC = 0.86 and 0.83). Seven experts identified factors related to preschool game teaching, and ten experts refined the draft of physical movement games through a focus group. Finally, nine experts verified the developed games using connoisseurship methods, with TGMD-3 data analyzed using mean and standard deviation, and qualitative data analyzed through content analysis.
Results: The research results found that the physical movement games to improve motor movement ability for preschool children for a total of 17 games, including 4 locomotor games, 9 object control games, and 4 integrated skills games.
Conclusion: All nine experts are unanimous that physical movement games for preschool children should be developmentally appropriate, inclusive, and engaging.
References
Balyi, I., Way, R., & Higgs, C. (2013). Long-term athlete development. Human Kinetics.
Barnett, L. M., Salmon, J., & Hesketh, K. D. (2016). More active preschool children have better motor competence at school starting age: An observational cohort study. BMC Public Health, 16, Article 1068. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3742-1
Brian, A., True, L., & Goodway, J. D. (2018). Effectiveness of motor skill intervention in young children: A systematic review. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 89(3), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2018.1481366
Brian, A., True, L., & Goodway, J. D. (2019). Motor competence levels and developmental delay in early childhood: A multicenter cross-sectional study conducted in the USA. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 90(3), 333–341.
Chinese Health Association. (2022). Report on the physical fitness of Chinese children. Chinese Health Association
Côté, J., & Hancock, D. J. (2016). Evidence-based policies for youth sport programs. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 8(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2014.919338
Gallahue, D. L., & Ozmun, J. C. (2019). Understanding motor development: Infants, children, adolescents, adults (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent–child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182–191. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-2697
Goodway, J. D., & Robinson, L. E. (2015a). Developmental trajectories in early sport specialization: A case for early sampling from a motor skill competence perspective. Quest, 67(4), 371–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2015.1082856
Goodway, J. D., & Robinson, L. E. (2015b). Developmental trajectories in early sport specialization: Early motor skills and lifelong physical activity. Quest, 67(2), 173–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2015.1041967
Hardy, L. L., King, L., Farrell, L., Macniven, R., & Howlett, S. (2010). Fundamental movement skills among Australian preschool children. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13(5), 503–508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2009.05.010
Haywood, K. M., & Getchell, N. (2020). Life span motor development (7th ed.). Human Kinetics.
Hnatiuk, J. A., Brown, H. E., Downing, K. L., Hinkley, T., Salmon, J., & Hesketh, K. D. (2019). Interventions to increase physical activity in children 0–5 years old: A systematic review, meta-analysis and realist synthesis. Obesity Reviews, 20(12), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12853
Kim, H., Park, I., & Lee, Y. (2020). Fundamental motor skills and physical activity in young children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-00938-y
Logan, S. W., Ross, S. M., Chee, K., Stodden, D. F., & Robinson, L. E. (2018). Fundamental motor skills: A systematic review of terminology. Journal of Sports Sciences, 36(7), 781–796. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2017.1340660
Lubans, D. R., Morgan, P. J., Cliff, D. P., Barnett, L. M., & Okely, A. D. (2016). Fundamental movement skills in children and adolescents: Review of associated health benefits. Sports Medicine, 40(12), 1019–1035. https://doi.org/10.2165/11536850-000000000-00000
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2020). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8 (4th ed.). National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Pellegrini, A. D., & Smith, P. K. (2005). The nature of play: Great apes and humans. Guilford Press.
Pica, R. (2013). Moving and learning across the curriculum: More than 300 activities and games to make learning fun. Cengage Learning.
Robinson, L. E., Stodden, D. F., Barnett, L. M., Lopes, V. P., Logan, S. W., Rodrigues, L. P., & D’Hondt, E. (2017). Motor competence and its effect on positive developmental trajectories of health. Sports Medicine, 45(9), 1273–1284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0351-6
Timmons, B. W., Leblanc, A. G., Carson, V., Connor Gorber, S., Dillman, C., Janssen, I., Kho, M. E., Spence, J. C., Stearns, J. A., & Tremblay, M. S. (2012). Systematic review of physical activity and health in the early years (aged 0–4 years). Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 37(4), 773–792. https://doi.org/10.1139/h2012-070
Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners (2nd ed.). ASCD.
Ulrich, D. A. (2017). Test of Gross Motor Development (3rd ed.). Pro-Ed.
Ulrich, D. A. (2019). Test of Gross Motor Development, Third Edition (TGMD-3). Pro-Ed.
UNESCO. (2016). Quality physical education (QPE): Guidelines for policy-makers. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000242425
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright on any article in the Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal is retained by the author(s) under the under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Permission to use text, content, images, etc. of publication. Any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose. But do not use it for commercial use or with the intent to benefit any business.






.png)
