Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a movement and pre-literacy program designed for children ages 3 to 4 years in Ontario. The program ran for 1 hour/week for 10 weeks and consisted of three components: direct movement skill instruction, child-directed free-play, and an interactive storybook reading circle. There was active involvement of at least one caregiver in the direct instruction and reading components. Families were recruited from local community agencies and were asked to attend at least two study appointments ten weeks apart. Half of the families entered into the program after the first appointment (the experimental group) and the remaining families entered the program after their second appointment (the wait-list control group). Children's movement and pre-literacy skills were assessed during both study appointments. Parents were also asked to complete questionnaires asking about various demographic characteristics and the frequency in which they practice movement and pre-literacy activities at home with their children. The results of the study show that children in the experimental group had significantly greater improvements compared to children in the wait-list control group in movement skills and word and print awareness. Improvements in alphabet knowledge, and parental engagement scores did not differ significantly between groups. The implications of these results are substantial because they provide evidence that participation in a community-based program offering direct instruction in a fun and family-oriented environment has the potential to improve the movement and pre-literacy skills of preschool age children.