ABSTRACT

Organized sport is offered at increasingly younger ages, with many programs geared towards preschoolers, toddlers, and infants. While sport is promoted as an amendable context for healthy development of school-age children, little is empirically known about potential benefits or risks associated with organized sport participation in early childhood. A scoping review of nine electronic databases identified English-language, peer-reviewed, original research articles which addressed psychological, emotional, social, cognitive, or intellectual developmental outcomes of organized sport involvement of children aged 2–5 years; included studies were appraised for quality. Findings offer preliminary evidence that early sport participation is related to primarily positive outcomes (e.g. enhanced social skills, pro-social behaviours, self-regulation), while negative and inconclusive outcomes were also identified. Results suggest limited existing research has primarily relied on parent or teacher proxy-report or assessment, and reinforces that little is known about toddler and preschooler organized sport participation as a distinct form of physical activity, despite pervasive availability of programming, and positive parental perceptions of early enrolment. Additional research with stronger methodological design and rigor is needed; recommendations to enhance the quality of future studies with young children are discussed.

摘要

有组织的体育运动在越来越年轻的年龄提供，许多计划针对学龄前儿童，学步儿童和婴儿。尽管体育运动是学龄儿童健康成长的一种可修正的环境，但从经验上对与幼儿期有组织体育运动相关的潜在利益或风险知之甚少。对九个电子数据库进行范围审查，确定了英语，同行评审的原创研究文章，这些文章探讨了2至5岁儿童有组织体育参与的心理，情感，社会，认知或智力发展成果；对纳入研究进行质量评估。研究结果提供了初步的证据，表明早期参与体育运动主要与积极成果有​​关（例如，增强的社交技能，亲社会行为，自我调节），同时还确定了负面和不确定的结果。结果表明，有限的现有研究主要依赖于父母或老师的代理报告或评估，并且强化了对幼儿和学龄前儿童组织的体育参与作为一种独特形式的体育活动的了解，尽管编程的普及程度很高，并且父母对尽早入学。需要进行具有更强方法设计和严格性的其他研究；讨论了提高幼儿学习质量的建议。并且强化了对幼儿和学龄前儿童组织体育参与作为一种独特形式的体育锻炼的了解，尽管普及了各种程序，并且父母对早期入学有积极的看法。需要进行具有更强方法设计和严格性的其他研究；讨论了提高幼儿学习质量的建议。并且强化了对幼儿和学龄前儿童组织体育参与作为一种独特形式的体育锻炼的了解，尽管普及了各种程序，并且父母对早期入学有积极的看法。需要进行具有更强方法设计和严格性的其他研究；讨论了提高幼儿学习质量的建议。