| The effect of Brain Gym exercise on children’s fundamental motor skills |
| Paper ID : 1048-SSRC-13TH (R1) |
| Authors |
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Sara Jalili nasab *1, Esmaeel Saemi2, Rasool Abedanzadeh2 1Department of Motor Behavior and Sport Psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran 2Department of Motor Behavior and Sport Psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran. |
| Abstract |
| Childhood is a period of life that shapes the foundations of growth. Increased sedentary behavior and reduced engagement in childhood represent a major challenge examined in recent years. Therefore, it is essential to find effective ways of preventing this alarming state. The present study aims to examine the effects of a period of Brain Gym exercise on development of fundamental motor skills in children. Eighty-four children (half of them female; mean age: 9.55±1.09 years; mean height 134.82±9.47 cm; mean weight: 29.65±7.82 kg; mean BMI: 16.08±2.39 kg/m2) were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 42: the Brain Gym group and the control group. This study consisted of four stages: pretest, intervention, posttest, and follow-up. The children in the Brain Gym group attended sixteen training sessions (over eight weeks, two sessions each). In pretest, posttest (immediately following the intervention), and follow-up (one month after the intervention), gross motor skills were measured using the test of gross motor development – 3rd edition (TGMD-3; Ulrich, 2016). The results of the dependent t-test indicated that the Brain Gym group experienced significant changes in the dependent variables from pretest to posttest and from posttest to follow-up (p≤0.05 for all comparisons) while such changes were not observed in the control group. In addition, one way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that the Brain Gym group outperformed the control group in posttest and follow-up in terms of all variables involved in ball skills, locomotor skills and fundamental motor skills (p≤0.05 for all comparisons). Our findings have important implications for teachers and coaches working at schools or sports facilities. They can create a more attractive environment well-suited to develop motor skills in children by integrating the twenty-six Brain Gym movements into their sports and exercise programs. |
| Keywords |
| Brain Gym, locomotor skills, ball skills, children |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Oral Presentation) |
