The influence of gender and age on locomotor skill performance in children of early childhood

Abstract

In early childhood the performance of locomotor skills is expected to be improved in with advancing age. Differences between boys and girls due to the specificity of motor task may exist. This study aimed to analyze the locomotor skills performance of children regarding age and gender. The locomotor performance of 389 preschool children from three to five years from the city of Recife - PE was evaluated by TGMD-2. The results showed that: older children outperformed the younger ones; in general, the boys outperformed the girls in the skills to run, horizontal jump, slide and in the locomotor total score, and the girls had a better performance in the skill to hop at five years; at the analysis of the progression of motor development, more complex motor behaviors occurred after those considered less complex. It is concluded that the locomotor development of preschoolers from Recife followed the principles of progressivity and complexity, however, boys and girls showed differences on the performance depending on the task.