ABSTRACT
This study examined two subfactors of fundamental movement skills: locomotion skills and object-control skills. The direct and indirect effects of children’s temperament on fundamental movement skills and the mediating effects of autonomy and self-regulation were examined. Participants included 278 pairs of 3- to 5-year-old children and their mothers from 4 day care centres. High levels of emotionality and sociability were positively associated with a high level of children’s autonomy, self-regulation and fundamental movement skills. There was a mediating effect of children’s autonomy and self-regulation on the effect of temperament on locomotion skills, but there was no mediating effect on object-control skills. The results provide empirical evidence of holistic development by confirming that temperament is a variable that affects gross motor development and that children’s psychological development is related to motor development.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all study participants.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Yujin Jang
Yujin Jang designed and executed the study, assisted with the data analyses, and wrote the manuscript.
Yea-Ji Hong
Yea-Ji Hong collaborated with designing the study, executing the study, and writing and editing the final manuscript.