Association between fundamental movement skills and weekday/weekend physical activity among preschool children in China: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The preschool years are a critical period for developing fundamental movement skills (FMS), which are strongly linked to physical activity (PA). This study aimed to examine the associations between FMS and PA on weekdays and weekends among Chinese preschool children. METHODS: A total of 364 preschoolers (mean age: 4.34 ± 0.74 years, 53% boys) participated. FMS were assessed using the Chinese Fundamental Movement Skills Test (CFMST), and PA was objectively measured with ActiGraph GT3X + accelerometers. Analyses were conducted separately for weekday and weekend, and PA was analyzed by intensity levels. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models were used to analyzed associations between FMS and PA, adjusting for age, sex, BMI and accelerometer wear time. RESULTS: Locomotor skills were significantly associated with higher weekday moderate-intensity PA (MPA, β = 0.29, p = 0.002), vigorous-intensity PA (VPA, β = 0.19, p = 0.004), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA, β = 0.45, p = 0.001). Object control skills were positively associated with weekday VPA (β = 0.10, p = 0.018), MVPA (β = 0.23, p = 0.050), and weekend MPA (β = 0.34, p = 0.014), MVPA (β = 0.53, p = 0.037). Stability skills were positively associated with weekday MPA (β = 0.08, p = 0.013), VPA (β = 0.05, p = 0.004), MVPA (β = 0.12, p = 0.005), weekend MPA (β = 0.10, p = 0.007), and MVPA (β = 0.15, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: FMS were significantly associated with PA levels across both weekdays and weekends. Locomotor emerged as key determinants of weekday PA, while object control skills and stability skills were positively linked to both weekday and weekend PA. These findings highlight the importance of developing multiple dimensions of FMS to support PA participation in early childhood.