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Top1. Introduction
Basic motor skills are characterized by the development of a learned task that requires specific development of sequences of responses, performed with precision and accuracy. However, the level of skills that individuals can achieve depends on their personal motor abilities and on the quantity and quality of their experiences (Pereira, Teixeira & Corazza, 2012). Data show that at least 50% of children do not master basic motor skills such as jumping, kicking, and throwing (Barnett, Dawes & Wilmut, 2013).
It is important to emphasize that basic motor skills do not occur naturally, but are the result of the interaction between the child and the environment (Gallahue, Ozmun & Goodway, 2013). Physical education is a means of facilitating this interaction and exploring different movements, thus promoting the acquisition and development of motor skills and abilities. Systematic instruction in the first years of school must be provided for the proper development of the child's motor repertoire (Robinson, 2011).
Modern children are being introduced to technology at an increasingly earlier age, and the literature indicates that active games, known as exergames, are potential tools to meet the need for exercise in physical education classes and contribute to the students’ motor learning (Vernadakis, Papastergiou, Zetou & Antoniou, 2015) as they are some of the most popular activities among children and adolescents (Finco, Reategui & Zaro, 2015). Schwartz and Tavares (2015) point out that playing is inherent in children; however, play has undergone transformations over time and now children begin to interact with technological devices very early and to develop a fascination for virtual games. This corroborates the idea that such games can be useful in physical education classes, considering that innovative technologies allow interactive environments that combine exercise with video games and require whole body movements (Deutsch, Brettler, Smith, Welsh, John, Guarrera-Bowlby, et al., 2011; Reynolds, Thornton, Lay, Braham & Rosenberg 2014; Vernadakis et al., 2015).
Some studies have indicated that exergames incorporate key elements of motor learning (Yen, Lin, Hu, Wu, Lu & Lin, 2011; Hammond, Jones, Hill, Green & Male, 2014; Reynolds et al., 2014). According to the findings of Barnett, Hinkley, Okely, Hesket, and Salmon (2012), 156 children ages 3 to 6 years, who spent more time playing exergames, performed better in the object control skills of the TGMD-2. Similarly, Vernadakis et al. (2015) administered the TGMD-2 to 66 children ages 6 and 7 divided into control group, experimental group with exergame, and experimental group with traditional approaches and found that the motor interventions with exergames significantly improved performance on the tests for object control skills. In addition, the authors indicated that the activities with exergames were more enjoyable and effective than traditional approaches, supporting the idea that exergames can be integrated into physical education programs.
Therefore, it is believed that these games are useful for improving motor performance. According to Green and Wilson (2012), they provide opportunities to perform tasks in a safe and controlled environment, combining the experience of learning movements with continuous motivation, playfulness, and attraction. Nevertheless, this topic is very recent in the literature, and few studies have been conducted in order to verify the applicability and actual effectiveness of this technology in the motor performance of children. Therefore, this study aimed to verify the effects of an intervention program with exergames on the motor performance of children aged 8 to 10 years, as well as to compare the effect of an intervention with exergames to the effect of the traditional approach of the physical education (PE) classes of a public school in southern Brazil.