Effects of Exergaming on Preschoolers’ Executive Functions and Perceived Competence: A Pilot Randomized Trial

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a child-centered exergaming program and a traditional teacher-led physical activity (PA) program on preschoolers’ executive functions and perceived competence. Methods: Sixty children aged 4–5 years from an urban childcare center in China completed an 8-week exergaming/traditional PA intervention. After baseline measurements of executive functions and perceived competence (i.e., perceived physical competence and social acceptance), children were randomly assigned to either an exergaming group or traditional PA group (30 children per group). Exergaming and traditional PA programs were offered 20 min/session by trained instructors for 8 weeks. Post-intervention measures were identical to baseline measures. Results: In general, children’s executive functions, perceived physical competence, and perceived social acceptance were enhanced over time. Analysis of variance revealed significant time by group interaction effects for executive functions, F(1, 58) = 12.01, p = 0.01, and perceived social acceptance, F(1, 58) = 6.04, p = 0.02, indicating that the exergaming intervention group displayed significantly greater increases in executive functions and perceived social acceptance in comparison with traditional PA children. In addition, children’s executive functions and perceived physical and social competence significantly improved from baseline to post-intervention. However, there was no significant difference in the increase of children’s perceived physical competence across groups over time. Conclusion: The results suggested exergaming to be beneficial in enhancing young children’s executive functions and perceived social acceptance compared to the traditional PA program. More diverse samples with a longer intervention duration in preschool children in urban areas are warranted.