Accident prevention through development of coordination in kindergarten children

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of an intervention program focusing on the coordination abilities on the frequency of accidents in the kindergarten. Accidents were mainly falls during play (61%), while motor deficiencies were the major factor of accidents (77%). The intervention group (IG) demonstrated a significant improvement of their motor proficiency and reduced overall number of accidents. The control group had a slight improvement. Children of the IG, having low motor proficiency, had fewer accidents by the end of the program. These results emphasised the need for organised development of movement coordination and concrete motor skills in kindergarten in order to effectively prevent accidents. Language: de