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Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

1-14-2026

Abstract

The intensity of physical activity among young children plays a critical role in determining the effectiveness of their physical exercise. This study employs the Delphi method to refine categories of sports games and developmental objectives tailored for young children. It identifies common mobile sports games that align with their developmental needs and examines the movement intensity characteristics of these games. The aim is to enhance children’s fundamental motor abilities and overall physical skill development. Method: In this study, experts in the field of early childhood were interviewed through the Delphi method to screen out mobile sports games that met the developmental needs of 5- to 6-year-old children. Sixty-six children (5.87±0.28 years old) were selected from a kindergarten class in Beijing. The screened mobile games were implemented in physical education, and 18 children were randomly selected to wear heart rate bands and 36 children to wear accelerometers in each class. Heart rate data and physical activity data were collected from the children using heart rate bands and accelerometers. A two-way ANOVA was conducted to explore the intensity characteristics of the games and potential differences based on gender and activity type. Following two rounds of Delphi screening, 6 categories of activities, 17 developmental objectives, and 52 commonly practiced movement-based physical games were identified. The average intensity of the mobility games was tested to be at the moderate to vigorous intensity level for older children. The objective indicators (mean count value and mean heart rate) were statistically different between ‘running’ and ‘walking’ and ‘balancing’ at different activity types of intensity (p < 0.05), with ‘running’ being the most intense activity and ‘balancing’ the least. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the intensity between different genders. There was no significant difference between the different developmental goals for the same activity type (p > 0.05). This study identified 6 types of activities17 [sic] developmental objectives, and 52 mobile sports games that address the developmental needs of 5- to 6-year-old children. This study provides some reference for the teaching of sports games in kindergarten. The overall level of intensity of children's mobile sports games was moderate to vigorous, with ‘running’ being the most intense and ‘balancing’ the least intense. Boys’ activities were more intense than girls’, probably because boys were more motivated to participate in sports games.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18122/ijpah.5.1.7.boisestate

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