Protocol for a quasi-experimental study examining the effect of a ball skills intervention on four domains of preschooler development

BACKGROUND: Preschooler inactivity and insufficient motor development have serious long-term consequences. The Chinese Ministry of Education launched a nationwide football-focused pilot project aimed at kindergartens in 2019 and issued the policy “Notice on the Establishment of National Football Kindergartens” in 2020. However, the impact of fundamental movement skills (FMS) interventions on other aspects of child development is unclear. AIM: This study will evaluate the effects of ball skills physical education projects on the development of Chinese preschoolers’ physical, motor, cognitive, and social competencies and examine the influencing factors. METHOD: This is a quasi-experimental study evaluating how well the “Hello Sunshine” curriculum project promotes children’s development over 10 weeks. The trial will be conducted from September 2021 to November 2021 in 12 classes from 3 kindergartens with a total of 249 children aged 4 to 6 years in Haikou, China. Pre- and posttest analyses will include tests on participants’ physical fitness, FMS, cognitive self-regulation, and emotional competence. Participants’ background information will be collected through questionnaires answered by parents and teachers. The intervention will focus on game-based basic ball skills. FINDINGS: If this intervention provides evidence that these skills improve children’s multidimensional development, it will support the promotion of similar programs in China. We will also outline the social-ecological factors affecting the intervention’s results, providing further information for improving pedagogical methods related to preschool ball skills.