Motor milestones and physical activity: A scoping review of ECD practitioners’ contributions

South African Journal of Childhood Education

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Motor milestones and physical activity: A scoping review of ECD practitioners’ contributions
 
Creator Gibson, Vanessa van der Merwe, Elna Coetzee, Brenda A.
 
Subject human movement science; kinderkinetics early childhood development; ECD; ECD practitioner; ECD centre; gross motor milestones; physical activity; scoping review
Description Background: Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners are crucial to young children’s motor milestone achievement, motor development and physical activity (PA) participation. Their role in helping young children reach appropriate PA levels and gross motor milestones has not received sufficient attention.Aim: This study examined the contribution of ECD practitioners to the acquisition of gross motor milestones and PA participation in children aged 0–4 years.Setting: A literature search was conducted using specified search terms. Search parameters were set between 1994 and 26 May 2021.Methods: The Manual for Evidence Synthesis was used for this scoping review. The mapping of evidence based on research about the contribution of ECD practitioners to the acquisition of gross motor milestones and sufficient PA levels, particularly in children aged 0–4 years, was performed using the nine stages of the scoping review approach.Results: Early childhood development practitioner-led PA interventions positively influence children’s overall PA, especially when thoroughly executed by sufficiently trained practitioners. In addition, ECD practitioners’ PA correlated positively with children’s PA.Conclusion: Physical activity interventions presented by ECD practitioners might have a positive influence on children’s overall PA levels, if interventions were thoroughly executed and ECD practitioners received sufficient training. Gaps identified in the current literature include a lack of longitudinal studies and research investigating ECD practitioners’ contribution to young children acquiring gross motor milestones.Contribution: The study contributed to the limited information regarding practitioners’ contribution to gross motor milestone acquisition and adequate PA, highlighting several gaps where research is required.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor Annamarie du Preez, librarian at the University of the Free State Dr Daleen Struwig, medical writer/editor, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State Funding, University of the Free State Funding, Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust
Date 2024-11-29
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — scoping review
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajce.v14i1.1580
 
Source South African Journal of Childhood Education; Vol 14, No 1 (2024); 13 pages 2223-7682 2223-7674
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1580/3228 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1580/3229 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1580/3230 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1580/3231
 
Coverage — 1994 to 26 May 2021 literature on ECD practitioners
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Vanessa Gibson, Elna van der Merwe, Brenda A. Coetzee https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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