School readiness classes and sports classes: The association with inhibition in 5 to 6 year-old boys

The aim of this study was to compare the development of cognitive inhibition and motor inhibition in older preschool children participating either in school readiness classes or in sports classes as extracurricular activities. A questionnaire for mothers was used to collect data on extracurricular activities of children. NEPSY-2 subtests were used to assess cognitive inhibition and motor inhibition in children. The sample consisted of 118 boys aged 5–6 years. There were three groups of boys: 38 boys attending only in school readiness classes for at least six months, 40 boys participating only in sports classes for at least six months, and 40 boys in the control group, who did not participate in any extracurricular activities. Girls were not included in the sample since 90 % of children who participated only in sports were boys. The results showed that boys participating only in sports had higher levels of cognitive inhibition than the boys from two other groups. No differences were found between the groups in levels of motor inhibition. The results indicate that participation in sports may be beneficial for the development of inhibition in boys aged 5 to 6 years. These findings indicate that participation in sports may be beneficial for the development of inhibition in boys aged 5–6 years. At the age of 5 to 6, inhibition naturally develops through structured physical activities that incorporate cognitive challenges of increasing difficulty.