Abstract

Objective: To analyze the effects of an 8-week motor stimulation program based on playful activities, in the level of gross motor development of third and fourth grade school boys from the Salesiano Valdivia Institute. Method: 15 male students, with an age of 9.03±0.63 years, participated in a motor stimulation program based on recreational activities, performing three weekly sessions, for a period of eight weeks. The level of gross motor development was measured before and after the intervention, using the Test Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), which determines motor age through the evaluation of manipulative and locomotor skills. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the locomotor skills (p= .0006) and manipulative (p= .0006) and the quoient of the results (p= .0006), going from 93% of children low age, poor and very poor even 93% of children in categories in age and over age. Conclusion: It is concluded that the motor stimulation program based on playful activities significantly improves the levels of motor development in children.