Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers
The number of single-child families has been rising steadily in recent years, resulting in a childhood absent of sibling relationships. Being an only child has been shown to have a negative impact on physical fitness, somatic fitness, and motor development. In this study, we aimed to understand how...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/3/204 |
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| author | Luis P. Rodrigues Carlos Luz Rita Cordovil Rui Mendes Rita Alexandre Vítor P. Lopes |
| author_facet | Luis P. Rodrigues Carlos Luz Rita Cordovil Rui Mendes Rita Alexandre Vítor P. Lopes |
| author_sort | Luis P. Rodrigues |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The number of single-child families has been rising steadily in recent years, resulting in a childhood absent of sibling relationships. Being an only child has been shown to have a negative impact on physical fitness, somatic fitness, and motor development. In this study, we aimed to understand how living with and without siblings can impact the motor competence of children. One hundred and sixty-one children (87 boys, 74 girls) from 3.0 to 6.0 years of age (34 only children, 125 siblings) and with no known motor or cognitive disability were assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA). Their standardized results on the three MCA subscales (stability, locomotor, and manipulative) and total MCA were used to group them into high, average, and low motor competence groups. Motor competence percentile distribution of the sibling and only child group condition was compared using chi-square tests. Results showed a significative and positive association between the sibling condition and the distribution between the three MC groups (chi-square = 6.29; <i>p</i> = 0.043), showing that children in a household with siblings, independent of their age and sex, show a clear tendency for developing better motor competence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-04e88a92bc8a4e91bb982d7214298389 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-04e88a92bc8a4e91bb982d72142983892023-12-03T12:59:59ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672021-03-018320410.3390/children8030204Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of PreschoolersLuis P. Rodrigues0Carlos Luz1Rita Cordovil2Rui Mendes3Rita Alexandre4Vítor P. Lopes5Escola Superior Desporto e Lazer de Melgaço, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, PortugalEscola Superior de Educação de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1549-003 Lisboa, PortugalFaculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1499-002 Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo, PortugalEscola Superior de Educação, Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, 3030-329 Coimbra, PortugalDepartment of Physical Education, Colégio Pedro Arrupe, 1990-529 Lisboa, PortugalResearch Center in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalThe number of single-child families has been rising steadily in recent years, resulting in a childhood absent of sibling relationships. Being an only child has been shown to have a negative impact on physical fitness, somatic fitness, and motor development. In this study, we aimed to understand how living with and without siblings can impact the motor competence of children. One hundred and sixty-one children (87 boys, 74 girls) from 3.0 to 6.0 years of age (34 only children, 125 siblings) and with no known motor or cognitive disability were assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA). Their standardized results on the three MCA subscales (stability, locomotor, and manipulative) and total MCA were used to group them into high, average, and low motor competence groups. Motor competence percentile distribution of the sibling and only child group condition was compared using chi-square tests. Results showed a significative and positive association between the sibling condition and the distribution between the three MC groups (chi-square = 6.29; <i>p</i> = 0.043), showing that children in a household with siblings, independent of their age and sex, show a clear tendency for developing better motor competence.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/3/204only childMCAearly childhoodhouseholdmotor performance |
| spellingShingle | Luis P. Rodrigues Carlos Luz Rita Cordovil Rui Mendes Rita Alexandre Vítor P. Lopes Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers Children only child MCA early childhood household motor performance |
| title | Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers |
| title_full | Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers |
| title_fullStr | Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers |
| title_short | Siblings’ Influence on the Motor Competence of Preschoolers |
| title_sort | siblings influence on the motor competence of preschoolers |
| topic | only child MCA early childhood household motor performance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/3/204 |
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