Youth Sport: Proceedings of the 6th Conference for Youth Sport‪ ‬

INTRODUCTION

The development of proficiency in movement skills is a major development task of infancy and early childhood. Movement is also the substrate of physical activity, and there is increasing interest in relationships between proficiency in basic movement skills and habitual physical activity. Improving the motor proficiency of young children has the potential to enhance levels of habitual physical activity beyond the preschool years. Proficiency in movement skills is also central to sport, and the teaching and refinement of sport-related skills is an objective of youth sport and talent development programs. With the preceding as background, the objectives of this paper are twofold: first, to review basic concepts, age trends and correlates of motor development and physical activity in children; and second, to address implications of motor proficiency for physical activity and youth sport.