The relationship between motor
skill competence, or proficiency in fundamental motor skills (FMS), and
physical activity strengthens as a child progress throughout development. FMS includes
walking and running, and can be thought of as the basis for future movements (Stodden
et al., 2008). Without proficiency in FMS, physical activity declines,
decreasing factors such as perceived motor skill competence, or the child’s
perception of their motor skill, and physical fitness, possibly leading to
obesity.
Young
children display a weak relation between physical activity and proficiency in
FMS due to their differences in experience, such as from parental influences
and the variable climate. For example, some children are very active because
their parents encourage them to try new physical activities, whereas some
children are inactive due to the terrible climate in which they live. At this stage, the increase in physical
activity improves the communication between the brain and the muscles, which
can in turn promote coordination, therefore competence in FMS (Stodden et al.,
2008).
As a
child moves into middle and late adulthood, an inverse relationship is seen,
where a strengthened motor skill competence drives physical activity levels. Some
of the individual and environmental constraints that hindered the amount of
physical activity in childhood, such as the lack of coordination, decrease due
to proficiency in FMS. This allows an individual to participate in various
physical activities, thereby increasing motor repetition.
Additionally,
a child’s perception of their motor skill competence also affects the
relationship between physical activity and motor skill competence. In early
childhood, a child may perceive themselves as very proficient in motor skills,
but have inadequate skills in reality. But because the child believes
themselves to be highly skilled, he or she will be persistent in mastering
various activities, thereby increasing FMS and physical activity due to
repetition.
As a
child transitions from early to middle childhood, they begin to correlate
perceived motor skill competence with actual motor skill competence (Stodden et
al., 2008). In other words, those individuals with lower motor competence will
tend to disengage in physical activity because they realize their lack of motor
skill competence, promoting a negative spiral of physical inactivity that may
lead to obesity.
Overweight
children have a greater difficulty performing physical activities due to their increased
overall size. Because overweight children will not engage in physical
activities compared to a healthy weight, fit individual, motor skill competence
is lowered due to less repetition (Stodden et al., 2008). But with higher motor
skill competence, an increase in physical activity and fitness, along with
higher perception of motor skill competence can be achieved, leading to a
healthy weight.
Furthermore,
adequate motor skill competence promotes physical activity, which can in turn
increase physical fitness. Children that are more fit during childhood and
adolescence will continue to be physically active in the future, strengthening
the relationship between motor skill competence and physical activity. With
limited fitness levels, it will hinder the child from participating in physical
activities that require adequate fitness levels, which is the case with most
sports, further declining motor competence development.
In the
long run, Stodden et al. (2008) hopes that their model will stimulate research
and stress the multifaceted problems that leads to inadequate motor competency,
such as obesity, negatively perceived motor competence, and lack of physical
fitness, which hinders engagement in physical activity.
References
- Stodden, D. F., Goodway, J. D., Langendorfer, S. J., Roberton, M. A., Rudisill, M. E., Garcia, C., Garcia, L. E. (2008). A developmental perspective on the role of motor skill competence in physical activity: an emergent relationship. Quest, 60, 290-306.
