Comparison of movement games of Iranian and Indian preschool children

The purpose of this study was to compare the motor games of Iranian and Indian preschool children.

This study was causal-comparative research. The statistical population of the present study was 156 Iranian and Indian preschool children who were selected from 6 preschools in Tehran and Delhi by multi-stage cluster sampling method. The tool used in this research was Sudershan's (2001) movement monitoring test including 4 movement games: imitation, dynamic balance, jumping in a circle, and reaction speed. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24 through independent t-test and multivariate analysis of variance.

The results of the independent t-test showed that there is a significant difference in the performance of movement games between Iranian preschool boys and girls and Indian preschool boys and girls, and there is also a significant difference between the performance of movement games of preschool children in Iran and India. The results of multivariate variance analysis showed that there is a significant difference in favor of preschool children in India in the game of jumping in a circle, but there is no significant difference between imitation games, dynamic balance, and reaction speed in preschool children of Iran and India.

The low performance of Iranian preschool children in the game of jumping in a circle compared to Indian preschool children can be due to the lack of educational space, inactivity, and lack of targeted sports and movement programs in preschool centers.