(3–5 years); intervention (, years, SD = 0.3), control (, years, SD = 0.4)
Pre-post; childcare setting
Fundamental movement skills measured via the Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd Edition (TGMD-2)
Intervention group received “The Preschoolers Activity Trial” consisted of the delivery of training workshops to teach the childcare providers how to foster a childcare environment that provides ample opportunities to be physically active throughout the day, while control received standard childcare curriculum during the study period
6 months
The intervention group showed a significantly greater increase in locomotor skills than the control group
Motor skills: climbing up and down the stairs; running; balancing; getting up; landing after jumping measured via Zurich Neuromotor Assessment (ZNA)
Intervention group received a governmentally led center based child care physical activity program (real-life), while control group received no intervention
9 months
The intervention group showed no significant increase in motor skills compared to the control group
; intervention (, = 4.4 years, SD = 0.5), control (, = 4.5 years, SD = 0.3)
Pre-post; childcare setting
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) measured via TMGD-2
Intervention group received “Munch and Move” program which was developed to enhance children’s healthy eating, active play, and fundamental movement skills. Control group received health information on unrelated topics (road safety and sun safety)
6 months
Locomotor, object control, and total FMS scores significantly improved in the intervention group compared with the control group
(42 boys; years, SD = 1.1); intervention , control ;
Baseline, 6 and 12 months; home setting
Motor competence: walking backwards, hopping for height, jumping sideways (JS) and moving sideways via Körperkoordinations Test für Kinder (KTK); ball-handing skills via a throwing and catching a ball test (TCB)
Intervention group received family-based physical activity counseling, while control group received no counseling
12 months; parents received a lecture (30 minutes) and face-to- face/phone counseling with goal setting (30–60 minutes) at 2 and 5 months
The intervention group was found to increase motor coordination
; intervention (, 128 boys, years, SD = 0.3), control (, 145 boys, = 4.1 years, SD = 0.3)
Baseline, 6 and 12 months; childcare setting
Motor skills: jumping, balance, skipping, and ball exercises measured via Movement Assessment Battery
Intervention group received enhanced physical activity program plus home-based health education aimed at increasing physical activity through play and reducing sedentary behavior, while control group received usual curriculum
3 × 30 minute sessions a week for 24 weeks
The intervention group had significantly higher performance in movement skills than control group at six-month follow-up
Motor abilities: gait speed, timed up and go test, single leg stance test, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up and down stairs test, 2-minute walk test and grip strength. Gross motor skills were measured via the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM)
Intervention group received Nintendo Wii Sports and Nintendo Wii Fit, including balance, strength training and aerobics games, while control group received traditional sessions that focused on facilitation of movement transitions, balance, walking, and gross and fine motor control
Two 30-minute weekly individual sessions over a period of 10 weeks
Significant improvements in intervention group were observed in single leg stance test, right grip strength and left grip strength compared with the control group
Cognitive abilities, language, and academic achievement measured via Woodcock–Johnson Applied Math Problems and Letter–Word Identification Tests, Get Ready to Read, the Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence Animal Pegs subtest, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III), Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT), and the Oral Language Proficiency Test
Intervention group received The Tools of the Mind curriculum, while control group received an established district-created model
Intervention teachers received 4 full days of curriculum training before classes began. During the school year intervention teachers received 30 min classroom visits once a week to address any difficulties they were having with the curriculum. Intervention from October 2002 to June 2003
The intervention group was found to increase executive functioning, social behavior, language, academic success, and literacy growth compared with the control group
(33 boys; = 6.2 years, SD = 0.3); intervention , control ;
Pre-post; school setting
Cognitive functions: Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Battery (CANTAB), the Attention Network Test (ANT), the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), and the short form of the Connor’s Parent Rating Scale (CPRS)
Intervention group received aerobically intense physical education, while control group received standard PE
2 hours per week × 10 weeks for both groups
The intervention group was found to improve CANTAB Spatial Span, CANTAB Spatial Working Memory Errors, and ANT Accuracy compared with the control group
Memory performance was measured via Free-Recall and Cued Recall Tests
Integrated condition: children enacted the actions indicated by the words to be learned in physical exercises; nonintegrated condition: children performed physical exercises at the same intensity, but unrelated to the learning task; gesturing condition: children enacted the actions indicated by the words to be learned by gesturing while remaining seated; conventional condition: children verbally repeated the words while remaining seated
Participants learned 14 Italian words in a 4-week teaching program
Children in the integrated physical exercise condition achieved the highest learning outcomes
(45 boys, = 4.90 years, ); integrated condition (, = 4.90 years, = 0.52), nonintegrated condition (, = 4.96 years, SD = 0.51), control (, = 4.80 years, SD = 0.44)
Baseline, week 4, week 6; childcare setting
Learning and memory were measured via Free-Recall and Cued Recall Tests
An integrated physical activity condition including task-relevant physical activities, a nonintegrated physical activity condition involving task-irrelevant physical activities, or a control condition involving the predominantly conventional sedentary style of teaching
Once per week for 4 weeks
Learning outcomes were highest in the integrated condition and higher in the nonintegrated condition than in the control condition
(326 boys); intervention (, = 5.2 years, SD = 0.6), control (, = 5.2 years, SD = 0.6)
Pre-post; school setting
Cognitive abilities: attention and spatial working memory measured via Konzentrations-Handlungsverfahren für Vorschulkinder (KHV-VK) and the Intelligence and Development Scales (IDS)
Intervention group received a multidimensional lifestyle treatment, while control group did not receive any treatment and continued their regular school curriculum
Children participated in a physical activity program consisting of four 45 minute sessions of physical activity a week from August 2008 to June 2009
