Japan Society of Research on Early Childhood Care and Education (1989). Conditions Affecting the Sense of Rhythmic Expression of Young Children. In Expression and Childcare: Research on Early-Childhood Care and Education in Japan, 1989 Edition Part IV. Expression of Young Children and Environment/Conditions (pp. 116-126). Tokyo: Froebel-kan.

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: A Study of Young Children’s Coordinated Movement—The Effects of a Rhythmic-Play Exercise Program on Physical-Expression Ability

  AUTHORS: Eri Yoshimi, Teruo Nomura, Noriyuki Kida

  KEYWORDS: Young Children, Physical-Expression Ability, Social Development, Coordinated Movement, Motor Skills

  JOURNAL NAME: Advances in Physical Education, Vol.11 No.1, February 26, 2021

  ABSTRACT: The current study examined young children’s physical-expression ability—defined here as social development that enables communication with other children through the experience of an exercise program—by observing movement changes before and after the exercise program. The study participants were 29 three-year-old children, 44 four-year-old children, and 33 five-year-old children, for a total of 106 people. During the exercise intervention period, the children took part in a coordinated movement program focusing on rhythmic play for six minutes a day. The results of a motor skills test showed that those of the four-and five-year-old children improved, while those of the three-year-old children partially improved. In relation to physical-expression ability, the evaluation scores for motion, space, dynamics, and time significantly increased in all age groups. The current study shows that the exercise program experience led to social development that transcended age difference via movement-based communication, in addition to improving young children’s motor skills and physical-expression ability.