Fundamental motor skill interventions significantly improve executive functions and social–emotional competence in preschoolers: a meta-analysis

TL;DR

Teaching basic motor skills to preschoolers improves their thinking abilities and emotional skills, with better results for older children and higher training frequency.

Contribution

This study provides the first meta-analysis confirming that fundamental motor skill interventions improve preschoolers' executive functions and social-emotional competence.

Findings

Fundamental motor skill interventions significantly improve executive functions in preschoolers.

Social-emotional competence also improves, though less strongly, with consistent benefits across intervention types.

Older preschoolers and higher training frequency yield stronger improvements in executive functions.

Abstract

Dynamic and embodied cognition theories propose synchronized motor, cognitive, and affective development; however, evidence on whether fundamental motor skills (FMS) enhance executive functions (EFs) and social–emotional competence (SEC) in preschoolers remains inconsistent. This systematic review (PRISMA-guided) synthesized 2000–2025 evidence from 10 studies (n = 2,039; 6 good, 4 fair quality via PEDro) on FMS interventions in typically developing preschoolers. The meta-analysis revealed significant overall EF (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI 0.20–0.61, p < 0.001) and SEC (SMD = 0.16, 95% CI 0.03–0.20, p = 0.02) improvements. Subgroup analyses suggested that pure FMS programs may yield stronger EF effects (SMD = 0.49) than combined programs (SMD = 0.32), whereas intervention type had a minimal differential impact on SEC outcomes. 5 -year-old benefited more than 3–4-year-old did in both domains (EFs: 0.49 vs. 0.36; SECs: 0.22 vs. 0.12). A higher dosage (>2 sessions/week × 30 min) yielded greater EF gains (0.51 vs. 0.27), while no significant dose–response relationship was observed for SEC. The findings confirm that FMS interventions enhance preschoolers’ EFs and SEC, with optimal EFs from pure FMS targeting older children at higher dosages; SEC benefits are consistent across intervention types.

The protocol for this systematic review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO with the Unique Identifier: [CRD420251073707]. The registration is publicly accessible at: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420251073707.

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