PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN: THE USE OF TGMD-2

Abstract

Background: Motor development can be understood as constant and permanent changes in the capacity to generate motor responses, which occur throughout the life cycle and may vary, influenced by the environment, task and the subjects themselves. Objectives: The present study aimed to review studies in the literature that used the Test of Gross Motor Development - Second Edition (TGMD2) to investigate the influence of physical activity on the motor performance of children aged 6-10 years. Methods: For this purpose, it was searched references in electronic search engines and organized them in the form of a systematic review. Searches took place between May and October 2017. As inclusion criterion it was used studies with children aged 6-10 years old that used the TGMD-2 as a motor assessment instrument. In addition, studies that were not related to physical activity or to TGMD-2 were excluded and, finally, only studies published in the Portuguese language were reviewed. Results: Studies have shown that children have poor performance in locomotor skills and that physical activities taught by the Physical Education teacher are more effective in improving locomotor skills. Conclusion: Thus, it can be concluded that the TGMD-2 is an adequate instrument for evaluation of motor development and that, in addition, the role of Physical Education teacher is important in the motor improvement process