/ Forschung
The association between motor competence and executive function varies across the primary school years
Children’s ability to move skillfully (motor competence) and their ability to manage thoughts and actions (executive function) are thought to develop together, but it’s unclear how this relationship changes as children grow. In this study, researchers from the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health and the PH Zürich tested 400 children in Switzerland, aged 7 to 11, to see how their motor skills were related to different parts of executive function: focusing attention (inhibitory control), switching between tasks, and remembering information (working memory). We found that children with better motor skills also tended to have better executive function overall, but the strength of this connection changed with age. Specifically, strong links between motor skills and attention control were found across all age groups, while the links to task-switching and memory were only seen at certain ages. These findings suggest that improving children’s motor skills could help support their thinking skills, but the effects may vary depending on their age and developmental stage.
The full article has been published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise and can be accessed from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102895.