Outdoor Play, Sports Can Promote Motor Skills In Youngsters
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 -- Children who spend more time playing outdoors or participating in different sports tend to develop better motor skills as they advance through elementary school, a new study says.
Even a half-hour of independent outdoor play after a day at childcare makes a difference in kids’ motor skill development, researchers reported in the Journal of Sports Sciences.
Children also did better if they tried more than one type of sport, researchers noted.
“Engaging in two or more sports during early childhood education predicted better motor competence later in school age,” lead investigator Nanne-Mari Luukkainen, a doctoral researcher with the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, said in a news release.
“Based on the results, coaches and physical education teachers should consider the importance of both organized and non-organized physical activities in the holistic development of children and encourage children to engage in diverse physical activities,” Luukkainen added.
For the study, researchers tracked more than 600 children living in Finland. The kids were ages 3 to 8 at the start of the study, and reached grades 1 through 3 during the three years that researchers followed their motor development.
Children who picked up more than one sport were better able to walk and run; had better hand-eye coordination; were better at holding, catching and throwing objects in their hands; and had overall better fundamental movement skills, the study found.
Likewise, kids who played outdoors more often had better fundamental movement skills and performed better at a test in which they jumped sideways.
The effects were more pronounced in girls than boys, possibly because boys tend to be significantly more active overall, researchers said.
These results jibe with previous studies showing that outdoor time and diverse physical activities can positively affect motor development, researchers said.
Sources
- University of Jyvaskyla, news release, April 4, 2025
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Consistent Physical Activity Lowers Risk Of Death
TUESDAY, July 15, 2025 — Adults who are consistently physically active have an overall lower risk of premature death, even if they pick up the habit later, a new evidence...
New Bride Survived Removal Of A 40-Pound Tumor
MONDAY, July 14, 2025 — A young woman became a June bride months after surviving complex surgery to remove a 40-pound tumor from her body, Cedars-Sinai doctors...
Killer Whales Show a Softer Side, Sharing Food With People
SATURDAY, July 12, 2025 — They’re known as "killer whales," but orcas have a surprisingly soft and even generous side. "Orcas often share food with each other &mdash...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.