Experimental Study On The Effects Of Crawling Games On The "body-skill-feeling" Of 5-6 Year Old Childre

ObjectivesA high-quality physical education program for preschoolers fundamentally affects their fitness and health in adolescence.Hence,it is a major strategy to be formulated by China’s central government.Physical fitness(PF),gross motor skills(GMS),and sensory integration(SI)are three current mainstream dimensions for evaluating the results of physical education for children."PF"affects the effect of children’s"GMS"learning,"SI"regulates children’s"GMS"acquisition of balance,coordination and other abilities and affects the development and development of children’s"PF".The three complement each other and act on the whole process of children’s comprehensive development.As activities for fun,crawling games promote the balanced development of participants’physical,mental,and intellectual capacities.However,its specific programs and effects in early childhood education activities are still unclear.This study followed the requirements of crawling posture,crawling direction,crawling content,crawling sequence and crawling organization,combined with the principle of deep and shallow muscle exercise,speed and dimension,as well as the crawling difficulty of high and low center of gravity,to explore the influence of crawling games on children’s three functional systems of"PF-GMS and SI".MethodsA total of 76 children who are eligible for research were recruited from a group of 106children aged 5 to 6 years through the inclusion criteria and G*Power,a tool to compute statistical power analyses.They were randomly assigned to the experimental group(N=38)and the control group(N=38).The experimental group received 16-week training in crawling games,while the control group continued with the conventional physical education curriculum in kindergarten.Each preschooler’s PF measurement,GMS development,and SI were evaluated before and after the experimental intervention.Moreover,the research adopted a 2(group)×2(time)repeated measures ANOVA to study the intervention of crawling games on children’s PF,GMS,and SI.Results1.Effects of crawling games on children’s physical fitness:(1)Both groups reduced the time cost in the 10-meter shuttle run(EG-10.95%vs.CG-3.05%).However,the EG improved more effectively(EG 6.83±0.44 vs.CG 7.32±0.26,P<0.001,η~2p=0.307).(2)In the test of the horizontal jump,the two groups enhanced their performance(EG 1.19%vs.CG 0.05%)without a statistically significant difference(P>0.05).(3)The two groups of children significantly improved in throwing tennis(EG 17.80%vs.CG 9.11%),where the EG achieved more obvious progress(EG7.28±0.53 vs.CG 6.47±0.66,P<0.001,η~2p=0.316).(4)The performance of the two groups both improved in the continuous two-foot jumping test(EG-11.36%vs.CG-9.46%),while there was no significant between-group difference(P>0.05).(5)During the sit and reach test,both groups fulfilled advancement(EG 28.26%vs.CG11.17%),and the EG demonstrated more remarkable progress(EG 12.80±1.78 vs.CG11.15±1.18,P<0.001,η~2p=0.233).(6)The two groups of samples improved in walking the balance beam(EG-21.38%vs.CG-6.79%).Similarly,the EG performed better than the CG(4.34±0.45 vs.5.08±0.49,P<0.001,η~2p=0.384).2.Effects of crawling games on basic motor skills of young children:(1)Gross motor skills:Both groups of preschoolers acquired better outcomes on locomotive skills,and the EG had more effective improvement(EG 30.67%vs.CG 17.50%,P<0.001,η~2p=0.243).Specifically,the two experimental groups did not demonstrate different consequences on running,gallop running,and sliding.The EG’s performance registered 22.22%,21.64%,and 29.44%growth in the three sports,respectively,and those of the CG increased by 24.63%,18.00%,and 21.06%.Moreover,the EG’s performance visibly prevailed over that of the CG on three motor skills,hop,skip,and horizontal jump,increased by 26.30,62.66%,and 38.95%,respectively,while the late merely achieved apparent improvement on skip by 21.06%.(2)Although both groups of children substantially improved in manipulative skills,the EG performed considerably better(EG 29.65%vs.CG 11.10%,P<0.001,η~2p=0.227).For a more detailed explanation,the EG’s performance on one-hand strike,single-hand standing dribble,catch,and underhand throw increased by 25.50%,41.89%,16.05%,and16.87%,respectively,and the CG progressed by 18.13%,12.89%,11.49%,and 0.74%.The outcome indicated the EG and CG’s performance indicated no obvious difference before and after the study on the four sports.However,the EG’s progress(42.02%,22.72%,and 38.19%)was considerably more rapid than the CG’s on two-hand striking,kicking,and overhand throwing.The CG merely achieved growth on the score of two-hand striking,17.04%.(3)The EG scored higher than the CG on the total score of gross motor skills(EG 30.16%vs.CG 14.32%,P<0.001,η~2p=0.520).3.Effects of crawling games on sensory integration in infants:(1)Only the EG obtained distinct differences before and after the experiment on functions of the vestibular system(P<0.001,η~2p=0.622).The EG’s vestibular system functioned much more efficiently than the CG(P<0.001,η~2p=0.343).(2)The groups of preschoolers did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the testing outcome of tactile defensiveness(P>0.05).(3)Although both experimental groups obviously enhanced proprioception(EG 8.60%vs.CG 6.56%),the improvement of EG was more apparent(P<0.001,η~2p=0.328).ConclusionOn the one hand,crawling games significantly promote the development of young children’s physical agility,muscle strength of upper limbs,waist,and abdomen,as well as flexibility and balance.On the other hand,they have no substantial influence on children’s explosive strength,motor coordination,and strength of lower limbs.Furthermore,crawling games dramatically boost children’s gross motor skills,including gross motor skills and manipulative skills.Finally,the games enhance sensory integration on the aspects of functions of the vestibular system and proprioception to a large extent.It does not exert a substantial effect on tactile defensiveness.