Bilateral transfer in children's motor development using sports games and physical activity

Regular participation in physical activities, such as sports games and exercises that engage both limbs, plays a key role in the development of bilateral transfer in children. Through such activities, children gain the ability to transfer the skills and movements learned to both sides, arms and legs, which can be vital for improving motor coordination and performance in various activities. The goal of this systematic review was to determine, based on previous research, the effects of the application of sports games and other types of physical activities on bilateral transfer in the development of children's motor skills. Research data were collected taking into account inclusion and exclusion criteria on PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar. As a result of the evaluation carried out within the inclusion and exclusion criteria, twelve (N= 12) original scientific studies were included in this research. The main findings of the research indicate that bilateral transfer programs, which include elementary games or programmed practice sessions, as well as programmed soccer exercises, have a positive effect on the bilateral transfer of children aged 3-12 years. These findings are consistent with the results of previous research, which was also analyzed, that was done with adults and suggests that short-term or long-term side-to-side transfer can be achieved in a wide range of age groups.