Assessment of gross motor developmental level in Italian primary school children

The development of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMSs) has been associated to several factors, such as weight status, gender differences and school years. In this study, we examined the level of development of several Italian primary school children taking into account school year and gender differences. The participants were 120 children (mean age: 8.70±1.53 years) and were recruited from three Italian primary schools. Each child performed all items provided in the Test of Gross-Motor Development and its level of proficiency in gross-motor skills was ranked according to its Gross-Motor Development Quotient obtained through the analysis performed by five skilled operators. Results highlighted that the children in the first school year had the highest level of proficiency in gross-motor skills in comparison with all their peers of other year groups (these differences were large for all comparisons). Moreover, boys resulted in higher level of proficiency than the girls and this difference was statistically significant in Year 2, Year 3, and Year 5 (effect size of these differences was from moderate to large). These results confirmed that the mastery in FMSs is not age-dependent and is affected by year groups and gender differences, so it is necessary to plan efficient and, if possible, subject- or group-specific educational programs in primary school setting to support the development of gross-motor skills in all children.