The effect of gymnastic exercises and free play on social skills and behavioral problems of children aged 3 to 6 years

The main goal of this study was to compare the effect of gymnastic exercises and free play on social skills and behavior problems of children aged 3-6 years. In this causal – comparative research, 200 subjects attending gymnastics and free-play classes were selected using targeted random sampling. Data was collected using preschool and kindergarten behavior scale. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for data analysis. The results revealed that there was not any significant different between the two groups in terms of social skills. However, the free-play group reported more behavioral problems in two subscales of self-centeredness and nervousness. These two types of exercises do not have an identical effect on alleviating the behavioral problems of children. Thus, a trainer with indirect supervision is necessary in children’s plays to mitigate their behavioral problems.