Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a movement and pre-literacy program designed for children ages 3 to 4 years in Hamilton, Ontario. The program ran for 1 hour/week for 10 consecutive weeks and consisted of three components: direct FMS instruction, unstructured exploratory free-play, and a dialogic storybook reading activity. There was active involvement of at least one parent or 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 were assessed using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales - 2nd edition, the Preschool Word and Print Awareness Test, and the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening: Preschool Uppercase alphabet knowledge test. Parents were also asked to complete questionnaires asking about various demographic characteristics and the frequency in which they engage in movement and pre-literacy activities at home with their children. The results of the evaluation show that both groups improved their gross motor skills, word and print awareness, and alphabet knowledge. Children in the experimental group showed statistically significant greater improvements compared to children in the wait-list control group in gross motor 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.