Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42707388›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in sports and active living2026

Domain-specific motor skill outcomes following a structured play-based motor intervention in preschool children: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Massimiliano Agnese, Simone Massaro, Roberta Cottone, Antonino Scardina, Floreana Lo Dico, Samuel Honório, Marianna Bellafiore, Garden Tabacchi

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Article in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Massimiliano AgneseSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Simone MassaroSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Roberta CottoneSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Antonino ScardinaSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Floreana Lo DicoSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Samuel HonórioSport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center - SPRINT-IPCB, Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal.
Marianna BellafioreSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Garden TabacchiSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are key components of early motor competence and part of the physical competence domain of physical literacy. However, less is known about domain-specific effects of structured play-based motor programs in preschool children and whether these effects vary by baseline motor competence and age. Materials and methods: This cluster-randomized controlled trial included 160 children aged 3-6 years from eight preschool classes, with classes randomly allocated to an intervention group (IG; five classes, Results: Compared with the CG, the IG showed significantly higher post-intervention locomotor scores, ball skills scores, and GMI. Group effects were significant for locomotor skills, Conclusions: Among preschool children, a structured play-based motor intervention was associated with greater improvements in FMS than usual preschool activities. Findings suggest that intervention effects may vary by motor domain, baseline competence, and age, supporting differentiated and developmentally responsive approaches to early childhood motor skill development.

Indexed as

cluster-randomized controlled trialfundamental motor skillsgross motor developmentmotor competencephysical literacyplay-based interventionpreschool childrenTGMD–3

Identifiers

PMID42707388
PMCPMC13547242

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.