The Effect of Eight Weeks of Gymnastics Exercises on the Development of Gross Motor Skills of Five to Six Years Old Girls

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of pre-level gymnastics exercises on the development of gross motor skills of five to six years old girls. Also, it aimed to examine the effects of exercises on sub-tests of balance, running, galloping, hopping, leaping, horizontal jumping, and sliding. A quasi-experimental research design was conducted. The study samples were preschool girls, randomly placed in an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). The instrumentation included gross motor skill tests of Bruininks-Oseretsky (1978) and Ulrich (2000). Hypotheses testing showed that pre-level gymnastics exercises had a significant effect on the development of balance and gross motor skills of locomotors and sub- scales of its as galloping, hopping, leaping.  Therefore, it is recommended to increase learning level and gross motor skill development of children, namely, implement regular and organized motor activities in preschool centers.