Effect of a Music and Movement Programme on Development of Locomotor Skills by Children 4 to 6 Years of Age

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of a 10‐week music and movement programme on the quality of locomotor skills in children 4 to 6 years of age. Sixty‐eight children (35 boys and 33 girls) served as subjects. The Test of Gross Motor Development (Ulrich, 1985) was used for the assessment of locomotor skills (running, skipping, galloping, hopping, leaping, sliding, and horizontal jump). Thirty‐five children participated in the exercise programme twice a week while the rest did not participate in any organised physical activity programme. In the absence of significant differences between the two groups in the pre‐test, multivariate analysis of variance (2X2 Manova) with repeated measures was used for data analysis. The results revealed a significant measure X group interaction on galloping, leaping, horizontal jump, and skipping. From the comparison of groups’ mean differences it was shown that the experimental group had significantly greater improvement on the above skills than the control group. It seems that a music and movement programme can improve significantly the quality of certain more complex locomotor skills.