Abstract:

In recent years, as a result of the pandemic emergency, there have been numerous changes in society, which have led to severe repercussions in the reduction of physical activity levels, particularly in children. There are several studies showing that sedentariness increased exponentially during the pandemic (Stockwell S. et al., 2021). Indeed, it has been shown that physical inactivity and sedentary behavior, in post-pandemic time, can become permanent (Dunton et al., 2020). To counter this risk, WHO recommends reducing time spent in front of television and video games by preferring outdoor games. According to the literature, traditional games are more effective in developing fundamental skills and abilities (Akbari et al., 2009). Then, the importance of implementing innovative curricular teaching protocols in which the body and its key role in learning is emphasized, is emerging. The aim of the present study is to investigate, within the primary school, the consolidation of gross-motor skills through the use of a specific systematic assessment tool: the MOBAK 3-4 (MOtorische BAsis Kompetenzen) test (Colella et al., 2015). The sample selected for the research consisted of 75 children (M=33; F=42), aged 7 to 11 years, selected by non-probability sampling, 62.7 percent attending grade III and 37.3 percent attending grade IV of an primary school. The study was a field test, and included an initial phase of data collection in which it was noted whether the subjects were engaged in one or more extracurricular sports activities, and it was found that 49.3 percent of them were not engaged in any. A first administration was carried out in March 2023 and a second one in May 2023, eight weeks apart during which the experimental protocol was subjected. The data, analyzed in the SPSS environment, showed that children who participate in sports activities possess more established skills and are more motor competent than the group who do not participate in sports activities. Thanks to the experimental reinforcement protocol carried out, the output administration showed improvements in some skill domains. In the second phase, a balance between the groups emerged, a positive data that reveals how subjecting children to a specific motor instructional protocol can result in increased competence in relation to even more complex skill acquisition tasks that are transferable to various curricular knowledge (Gallahue et al., 2012). This tool was effective in providing useful data for implementing flexible and adapted instructional actions, because it allowed the identification of potentials and deficiencies in relation to the specific skill domains of the individual learner. Motor skills represent the basis of movement and play a fundamental role in the construction of children's bodily experience. In conclusion, this study emphasizes how motor-sport activities play a fundamental role in optimal child development and how permanent practice of motor activities can ensure adequate growth, maturation and development (Malina, 2006).

Keywords:

Primary education, MOBAK 3-4, Gross-motor skills, Motor education.