Analysis of fundamental movement skills execution in early childhood

Gibanje je osnova za otrokov celostni razvoj. Najbogatejše in največje možnosti za optimalen razvoj gibanja ima otrok v zgodnjem otroštvu. Usvojeni gibalni vzorci predstavljajo osnovo za kasnejše, kompleksnejše spretnosti. Temeljne gibalne spretnosti so osnovni mehanizem za gibanje in vsebujejo stabilnostne spretnosti, lokomotorne in manipulativne. Če želimo popolnoma in celovito razumeti otrokov razvoj, je proučevanje in poznavanje značilnosti ter dejavnikov, ki nanj vplivajo, ključnega pomena. Namen magistrske naloge je bil ugotoviti nekatere značilnosti usvajanja temeljnih gibalnih spretnosti v zgodnjem otroštvu in primerjati uspešnost teh glede na starost ter spol. V raziskavo je bilo vključenih 322 otrok, obeh spolov, starih od 5 do 9 let. Izvedbo temeljnih gibalnih spretnosti smo preverili s pomočjo standardiziranega protokola, uporabljenega v drugih študijah. Raziskava je pokazala, da se s starostjo povečuje stopnja obvladanja izbranih temeljnih gibalnih spretnosti, kjer je bilo vidno, da se največ kazalcev usvoji pri pet- in sedemletnikih. Iz rezultatov, ki smo jih pridobili, smo ugotovili, da so v povprečju v skupnem seštevku vseh temeljnih gibalnih spretnosti dečki dosegali boljše rezultate kot deklice. Razlike so se pokazale pri seštevku manipulacijskih spretnosti, kjer so bili uspešnejši dečki, deklice pa so dosegale boljše obvladovanje lokomotornih gibanj. Poznavanje osnovnih značilnosti rasti in razvoja je predpogoj za načrtovanje ter pripravo ustreznih in kvalitetnih gibalnih vsebin.Movement is a basis for children’s wholesome development. The best of the possibilities for optimal motor development can be found in early childhood. Adopted movement patterns represent a basis for later developed more complex skills. Fundamental movement skills are basic mechanisms for movementthey include balance skills, locomotive skills and manipulative skills. In order to completely and wholesomely understand child’s development it is crucial to study and recognize its characteristics and influencing factors. The purpose of the Master’s thesis was to establish certain characteristics of adopting fundamental movement skills in early childhood and to compare the adoption efficiency according to age and gender. The research included 322 children of both genders aged from 5 to 9. The execution of fundamental movement skills was examined with standardised protocol used in various studies. The research showed that the degree of mastering certain fundamental movement skills increases with age. We determined that the majority of indicators are adopted at the age of 5 and 7. Results also showed that on average the total sum of all fundamental movement skills was better with boys if compared to girls. Differences also appeared in sum of manipulative skills, where boys prevailed. Girls, however, had better results at mastering locomotive skills. Recognizing basic characteristics of growth and development is a prerequisite for planning and preparing suitable and qualitative movement contents