{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T09:02:21Z","timestamp":1791795741017,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":151,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787529600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Movement- and arts-based experiences are frequently promoted as developmentally appropriate contexts for supporting cognition in early childhood, but effects may differ across executive-function domains, pedagogical formats and study contexts. Methods: This PRISMA 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261363924). PubMed\/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, PSICODOC, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception through April 2026. One immediate-post effect per Study ID and core domain was retained. Random-effects models used restricted maximum likelihood with Hartung\u2013Knapp adjustment. Study-level risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2 or ROBINS-I, missing-evidence risk with ROB-ME and certainty with GRADE. Intervention content, pedagogical format and embedded cognitive demands were also coded descriptively. Results: The review included 130 reports representing 125 unique studies. Fifteen Study IDs contributed 29 core effects: 10 for inhibition (n = 675), 10 for working memory (n = 697) and nine for cognitive flexibility (n = 642). Twelve core programmes were primarily structured, and three used guided-play\/structured-hybrid formats; no free\/unstructured-play intervention entered the meta-analysis. Mean effects favoured the intervention for inhibition (Hedges\u2019 g = 0.52, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.90), working memory (g = 0.42, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.75) and cognitive flexibility (g = 0.60, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.98). Heterogeneity was substantial, and all 95% prediction intervals crossed the null. Estimates remained favourable after excluding Serious risk-of-bias judgments. Age-exclusion and ICC-sensitivity analyses retained positive effects; a worst-case exclusion of unadjusted class- or cluster-assigned studies reduced precision for inhibition and working memory. SMD-specific modified-precision regressions did not indicate small-study associations for inhibition (p = 0.529) or working memory (p = 0.619); cognitive flexibility was not formally tested because k = 9. ROB-ME indicated some concerns, and GRADE certainty was low for all three domains. Conclusions: Favourable average effects should not be attributed to movement or arts participation per se. Pedagogical structure and embedded cognitive demands may influence outcomes, but substantial inconsistency, unit-of-analysis uncertainty and low certainty preclude identification of a superior model. Funding: There was no external funding.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13091134","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T17:20:28Z","timestamp":1787592028000},"page":"1134","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Early Childhood Movement- and Arts-Based Experiences and Executive Functions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3088-0638","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gustavo","family":"Vega-Fernandez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Epidemiology and Morphological Sciences, Instituto de Biolog\u00eda, Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica de Valpara\u00edso, Valpara\u00edso 2373223, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan Jos\u00e9","family":"Valenzuela-Fuenzalida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Vi\u00f1a del Mar 2520000, Chile"},{"name":"Departamento de Ciencias Qu\u00edmica y Biol\u00f3gicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Bernardo O\u2019Higgins, Santiago 8370993, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yasna","family":"Jeria-Pizarro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Chile, Santiago 8910060, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9092-3469","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gustavo","family":"Oyanedel-Amaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of the Americas, Santiago 8370040, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mathias","family":"Orellana-Donoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago 7501015, Chile"},{"name":"Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebasti\u00e1n, Lota 2465, Santiago 7510157, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6497-3480","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gloria","family":"Cifuentes-Suazo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carrera de Odontolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cat\u00f3lica de la Sant\u00edsima Concepci\u00f3n, Av. Alonso de Ribera 2850, Concepci\u00f3n 4090541, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan J.","family":"Cabezas-Salgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cat\u00f3lica del Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christopher","family":"Blackwood-Espinoza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Vi\u00f1a del Mar, Vi\u00f1a del Mar 2520000, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8130-6460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 E.","family":"Le\u00f3n-Rojas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cerebro, Emoci\u00f3n y Conducta (CEC) Research Group, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de las Am\u00e9ricas (UDLA), Quito 170521, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2599-8474","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan","family":"Sanchis-Gimeno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIAVAL Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46001 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7697-419X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alejandro","family":"Bruna-Mejias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andr\u00e9s Bello, Vi\u00f1a del Mar 2520000, Chile"},{"name":"Departamento de Ciencias y Geograf\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valpara\u00edso 2360072, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.134.1.31","article-title":"Executive function in preschoolers: A review using an integrative framework","volume":"134","author":"Garon","year":"2008","journal-title":"Psychol. 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