The influence of physical activities on children language development: a systematic literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v66.111929Keywords:
Physical activity, language development, children developmentAbstract
Introduction: language development is a great indicator of a child's future growth. However, not all children achieve age-appropriate language milestones. Intervention through physical activity can be a significant contribution to language development.
Objective: this study systematically reviewed the data linking physical activity to children's language development.
Methodology: this study employed a systematic review approach, exploring many journal databases such as ERIC and SAGE. This analysis included empirical studies from the previous five years that focused on children's physical activity and language development. Articles that were irrelevant and came from questionable publications were excluded from this investigation. ERIC and SAGE databases yielded 1583 publications. Seven publications meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed in this systematic review. PRISMA was used for routine procedures in this investigation.
Results: this systematic review found that physical activities in natural settings, integrated into children's routines, and conducted in a stimulating environment can positively impact language development by providing opportunities for communicative participation through play and games.
Conclusion: Physical activity can improve communication from several angles. Future research should concentrate on the most significant types of physical activity for children's language development.
References
Aranas, K., & Leighton, J. P. (2022). Dimensions of physical activity as related to child attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and impairment. Clinical Child Psychology and Psy-chiatry, 27(4), 953–966. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045211058338
Aziz, Z. W., Aljammas, E. K., & Al-Allaf, L. I. K. (2023). IMPACT OF SCREEN EXPOSURE ON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AMONG TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS IN NINEVEH PROVINCE. Military Medical Science Letters (Vojenske Zdravotnicke Listy), 92(3), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.31482/mmsl.2022.048
Dalimier, L. L., & Woulds, S. (2019). Physical activity and second language acquisition: mind and body working together. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326156330
Ece Demir-Lira, Applebaum, L. R., Goldin-Meadow, S., & Levine, S. C. (2019). Parents’ early book read-ing to children: Relation to children’s later language and literacy outcomes controlling for other parent language input. Developmental Science, 22(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12764
Ernst, J., Burgess, E., & Bruno, L. (2021). Nature Preschool as a Promoter of Physical Activity in Young Children: An Exploratory Study of Nature Preschool in a Northern Climate. International Jour-nal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 8(3), 3.
Gibson, J. L., Pritchard, E., & de Lemos, C. (2021). Play-based interventions to support social and com-munication development in autistic children aged 2–8 years: A scoping review. In Autism and Developmental Language Impairments (Vol. 6). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415211015840
Harju, A., Balldin, J., Ekman Ladru, D., & Gustafson, K. (2020). Children’s education in ‘good’ nature: Perceptions of activities in nature spaces in mobile preschools. Global Studies of Childhood, 11(3), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/2043610619900519
Kahan, D., McKenzie, T. L., Satnick, M., & Hansen, O. (2023). U.S. Islamic Schools’ Promotion of Physical Education and Physical Activity. Journal of Education in Muslim Societies, 5(1), 86–105. https://doi.org/10.2979/jems.5.1.06
Lee, G. T., He, L., & Xu, S. (2022). Using Cooperative Physical Activities in Inclusive Settings to Enhance Social Interactions for Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder in China. Journal of Posi-tive Behavior Interventions, 24(3), 236–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007211035135
Maromi, C., & Pamuji, P. (2024). When a Child is Speech Delay: Causes, Diagnosis, and Intervention. In-donesian Journal of Early Childhood Educational Research (IJECER), 3(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.31958/ijecer.v3i1.12476
McArthur, B. A., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2022). Screen time and developmental and behavioral out-comes for preschool children. Pediatric Research, 91(6), 1616–1621. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01572-w
Mulé, D., Jeger, I., Dötsch, J., Breido, F., Ferrari, N., & Joisten, C. (2022). Correlation between Language Development and Motor Skills, Physical Activity, and Leisure Time Behaviour in Preschool-Aged Children. Children, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/children9030431
Novikova, E., Pic, A., & Han, M. (2024). Language use in indoor and outdoor settings among children in a nature-based preschool. Environmental Education Research, 30(1), 138–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2023.2246688
Olive, L. S., Telford, R. M., Westrupp, E., & Telford, R. D. (2024). Physical activity intervention improves executive function and language development during early childhood: The active early learning cluster randomized controlled trial. Child Development, 95(2), 544–558. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14014
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetz-laff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. International Journal of Surgery, 372(88). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pasaribu, A. G., Yusnadi, Y., & Machmud, M. takwin. (2023). Impact of Gadget Use on Speech Delay: Case Study of Toddlers in Tanjung Gusta Village. International Journal of Educational Practice and Policy, 42–47. https://doi.org/10.61220/ijepp.v1i2.0237
Prins, J., van der Wilt, F., van Santen, S., van der Veen, C., & Hovinga, D. (2023). The importance of play in natural environments for children’s language development: an explorative study in early childhood education. International Journal of Early Years Education, 31(2), 450–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2022.2144147
Rithipukdee, N., & Kusol, K. (2022). Factors Associated with the Suspected Delay in the Language De-velopment of Early Childhood in Southern Thailand. Children, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050662
Rodriguez, D., Manner, J., & Darcy, S. (2010). Evolution of Teacher Perceptions Regarding Effective Instruction for English Language Learners. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192709359423
Rodríguez-Guerrero, Y. I., Gil-Madrona, P., Pilar León, M., & Vásquez-Cruz, A. E. (2023). Relationship between fine/gross motor skills and language and math development in Colombian Caribbean children: A study in Barranquilla. Infant and Child Development, 32(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2430
Sá, C., Vilar, J., Magalhães, P., & Vasques, C. (2022). Sleep time, tv/video games and snack consumption in preschool children – a cross-sectional study. Retos, 46, 581–585. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v46.91165
Schwartz, M., Hijazy, S., & Deeb, I. (2021). The role of play in creating a language-conducive context in a bilingual preschool. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 29(3), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2021.1928723
Senol, F. B. (2021). Physical activity and preschool children: Preschool teachers’ perceptions. South-east Asia Early Childhood Journal, 10(2), 132–146. https://doi.org/10.37134/saecj.vol10.2.9.2021
Simonović, S., & Hinić, D. (2024). EXCESSIVE SCREEN MEDIA EXPOSURE AND LANGUAGE DELAY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS AND TODDLERS - THREE CASE REPORTS. Experimental and Applied Biomedical Research (EABR), 25(1), 87–92. https://doi.org/10.2478/sjecr-2021-0028
Singer, I., Gerrits, E., Gorter, J. W., & Luinge, M. (2024). Speech and language therapists’ perceptions of contextual factors associated with communicative participation in children with developmen-tal language disorders. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1177/02656590241276693
Skubic, D., Gaberc, B., & Jerman, J. (2021). Supportive Development of Phonological Awareness Through Musical Activities According to Edgar Willems. SAGE Open, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211021832
Tandon, P. S., Zhou, C., Johnson, A. M., Gonzalez, E. S., & Kroshus, E. (2021). Association of children’s physical activity and screen time with mental health during the covid-19 pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 4(10). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27892
Vaidyanathan, S., Manohar, H., Chandrasekaran, V., & Kandasamy, P. (2021). Screen Time Exposure in Preschool Children with ADHD: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study from South India. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 43(2), 125–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/0253717620939782
Vrinda, R., Krishna, A. R., & Kunnath, S. K. (2022). Appropriate Screen Time Use to Prevent Speech and Language Delay in Toddlers during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Brief Report. Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development, 32(4), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.47985/dcidj.519
Wang, C. (2022). The role of physical activity promoting thinking skills and emotional behavior of pre-school children. Psicologia: Reflexao e Critica, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-022-00223-1
Zhang, Y., Taumoepeau, M., & Reese, E. (2024). Context matters: Examining the linguistic aspects of educator-toddler talk. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. https://doi.org/10.1177/18369391241306765
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fitria Kamelia, Margana Margana, Agus Widyantoro
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
