Early childhood centres are important places for physical activity promotion in young children, considering the amount of time that children spend at childcare centres. The aim of this study was to train early childhood educators on physical activity promotion in children. Participants included 150 preschool children (75 female; M age = 46.15 months; SD = 5.02) from 7 early childhood centres located in Athens, Greece. Early childhood educators (N = 16; n_intervention = 9, n_control = 7) were allocated to intervention (n = 4) or control groups (n = 3). Teachers were provided with a learning workshop consisting of lectures and practical sessions. Children were fitted with pedometers mounted on the right hip during children’s stay at the childcare centre on two random days before and after the intervention. A mixed 2 (group: intervention vs. control) × 2 (gender) × 2 (time of testing: before vs. after the intervention) experimental design with repeated measures on the latter factor was used. The number of children’s steps was set as the dependent variable. Results showed a significant main effect of gender, with boys having more steps than girls but no differences between the two experimental groups. Training of early childhood educators, reliable assessments of physical activity and fidelity measures of compliance with physical activity are indispensable. Professional development of longer duration may provoke substantial changes in children’s daily routine to include more opportunities for physical activity participation.

考虑到儿童在托儿所花费的时间，幼儿中心是促进幼儿进行体育锻炼的重要场所。这项研究的目的是对幼儿教育者进行有关促进儿童体育锻炼的培训。参加者包括 来自希腊雅典7个幼儿中心的150名学龄前儿童（75名女性；M年龄= 46.15个月；SD = 5.02）。幼儿教育者（N = 16； n_干预 = 9，n_对照 = 7）被分配到干预组（n = 4）或对照组（n = 3）。给教师们提供了一个由讲习班和实践会议组成的学习讲习班。干预前后两天，孩子们在托儿所逗留期间，都为他们的右臀部安装了计步器。使用混合2（组：干预与对照组）×2（性别）×2（测试时间：干预前与干预后）的实验设计，并对后一个因素进行重复测量。将孩子的步数设置为因变量。结果显示性别具有显着的主要影响，男孩的步伐比女孩高，但两个实验组之间没有差异。培训幼儿教育者，进行体育活动的可靠评估和遵守体育活动的忠实度测量是必不可少的。持续时间较长的专业发展可能会引起儿童日常生活的重大变化，包括更多参与体育活动的机会。