Effects of an eight-week creative dance and movement program on motor creativity and motor competence of preschoolers

Introduction: Both motor creativity and motor competence are important features of children’s personality that should be cultivated and enhanced in early years. Creative dance and movement are a valuable educational means; however, research on the outcomes of the implementation of this educational means on young children is limited and has several methodological shortcomings. Purpose: In this study, the effects of an eight-week creative dance and movement program on motor creativity and motor competence of preschoolers were investigated. Methods: A total of 57 preschoolers (49–73 months of age) participated in a controlled trial, with 29 children in the experimental group (EG) and 28 in the control group (CG). Pre–post assessments were conducted using the Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement Test (TCAM; Torrance, 1981) and the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2; Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005). Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs), with age and pre-test scores as covariates, were utilized on children’s total post-TCAM and BOT-2 scores. Results: Regarding motor creativity, a statistically significant superiority of EG (p < 0.001, η_p 2 = 0.36) was revealed; whereas, in motor competence no statistically significant differences were detected between CG and EG, in spite of the improvement of children’s scores. Age was significantly associated with both motor creativity and motor competence scores (p < .001). Conclusion: This study indicates that a creative dance and movement program may substantially boost preschoolers’ creative potential; however, it appears that this type of movement programs, focusing mainly on locomotor activities, does not provide children with enough opportunities to develop a wide range of their motor skills. Moreover, during preschool years, a few months age difference may considerably affect the creative and motor potential of children. This should be taken under consideration when measuring children’s motor creativity and motor competence.