Kensington Gymnastics Magazine

FEATURE

Why this matters

When parents think about gymnastics, they often focus on visible outcomes — skills, routines, and physical ability. Less obvious are the quieter foundations being developed underneath: coordination, control, and the ability to manage effort and attention.

In busy, cognitively demanding environments, these foundations matter. They shape how children move through daily life, respond to challenge, and adapt to new situations. Understanding what gymnastics may be supporting beneath the surface helps families interpret progress more calmly — and recognise value even when change is not immediately visible.

To understand why researchers are interested in this connection, it helps to translate a few key terms into everyday language.

Gross-motor coordination

Gross-motor coordination refers to how well a child organises large movements of the body. It includes:

• balance and postural control
• timing and rhythm of movement
• the ability to sequence actions smoothly
• adjusting movement when conditions change

Good coordination doesn’t mean performing advanced skills. It means moving with control, awareness, and adaptability — whether running, jumping, balancing, or transitioning between positions.

In gymnastics, coordination is constantly challenged. Children are asked to:

• place their body precisely in space
• control movement through different shapes
• start, stop, and change direction intentionally

These demands are not about difficulty. They are about organisation.

Executive functions

Executive functions are a group of mental skills that help children manage their actions and attention. They include:

• focusing and sustaining attention
• controlling impulses
• remembering and following instructions
• planning and adjusting behaviour when something doesn’t work

These skills develop gradually throughout childhood. They are influenced by many factors — including environment, sleep, stress, relationships, and experience.

Crucially, executive functions are not fixed traits. They are developing systems, shaped over time through repeated, meaningful challenges.

From a scientific perspective, the brain and body do not develop in isolation.

Coordinated movement places demands on the nervous system that go beyond muscles and joints. When a child learns to control their body, they are also learning to:

• anticipate what comes next
• correct mistakes in real time
• regulate effort and attention
• stay engaged through challenge

These processes mirror the same systems involved in executive functions.

This is why researchers are increasingly interested in activities that combine physical movement with:

• structure
• sequencing
• feedback
• and gradual progression

Gymnastics is not unique in this respect, but it offers a particularly clear example. Movements are broken down, repeated with intention, and refined over time. Children are encouraged to notice how their body feels, where it is in space, and how small adjustments change the outcome.

In everyday terms, movement becomes a learning environment.

For children growing up in cognitively demanding settings — where attention is constantly pulled in different directions — this kind of embodied learning may play a valuable supporting role. Not by accelerating development, but by supporting the systems that help children manage complexity more confidently.

The study by Silvestri et al. (2025) set out to explore a question that sits at the intersection of movement and development:

How are children’s movement coordination and certain aspects of cognitive organisation related — and does gymnastics training appear to influence this relationship?

To investigate this, the researchers compared preadolescent gymnasts with children of a similar age who were engaged in other organised sports. The aim was not to rank sports or declare a “best” activity, but to examine whether the specific movement demands of gymnastics were associated with differences in coordination and executive functioning.

The researchers assessed:

• gross-motor coordination, using standardised motor tests that examine balance, timing, and movement control
• executive functions, including attention, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, through age-appropriate assessment tools

All measurements were conducted within established research protocols. Importantly, the study focused on associations, not cause-and-effect claims. This distinction matters, especially when translating research for families.

The children involved were not elite performers, nor were they selected based on exceptional ability. They were young athletes participating in structured sport within a typical developmental range — a detail that makes the findings more relevant to everyday families.

The study found that children practising gymnastics tended to demonstrate:

• stronger gross-motor coordination profiles, particularly in tasks requiring balance, sequencing, and control
• associations between coordination and certain executive function measures, suggesting that children who organised movement more effectively also tended to perform better on selected cognitive tasks

These findings do not suggest that gymnastics “improves intelligence” or guarantees better academic performance. What they suggest is more subtle — and more useful.

Gymnastics places repeated demands on:

• planning movement before executing it
• adjusting actions mid-task
• maintaining attention while controlling the body
• responding calmly to feedback and correction

Over time, these demands may support the development of systems that help children manage both physical and cognitive challenges.

It is also important to note what the study did not show. It did not claim that gymnastics replaces other forms of learning, nor that more training automatically leads to better outcomes. The researchers were careful to frame their findings within the limits of developmental science.

For families, this restraint is a strength rather than a weakness. It reflects how child development actually works — gradually, unevenly, and in response to many interacting influences.

To understand why this research resonates particularly strongly with London families, it helps to consider the environment children are growing up in.

Modern city life places high cognitive demands on children from an early age.

School routines, travel, noise, schedules, screens, and constant transitions all require attention, regulation, and adaptability. At the same time, opportunities for free, unstructured movement are often reduced.

In this context, the quality of movement experiences becomes increasingly important.

Gymnastics fits urban life in a distinctive way. It:

• operates effectively in compact spaces
• offers structured, progressive challenges
• requires attention, sequencing, and control
• emphasises body awareness rather than speed or contact

From a developmental perspective, this combination is meaningful. It creates an environment where children are asked to coordinate their bodies carefully, respond to instruction, and adjust effort — all within a setting that values precision and patience.

For London families, the relevance of the Silvestri study lies not in comparison or competition, but in understanding what kinds of movement experiences support children living in cognitively demanding environments.

The implication is not that gymnastics is the only answer, nor that children should do more. Rather, it highlights why structured, well-coached movement — when delivered appropriately — can play a supportive role in helping children feel more organised, confident, and capable in their daily lives.

When parents read research like this, it’s natural to ask: what might this look like in real life?

The most important point to make first is that developmental changes are subtle, gradual, and individual. There are no guarantees, timelines, or checklists. Children do not suddenly become more focused or organised because they attend a class. Development doesn’t work that way.

That said, families whose children participate in well-structured gymnastics programmes sometimes describe small, cumulative changes such as:

• increased confidence in moving their body through unfamiliar situations
• smoother transitions between activities
• greater tolerance for challenge and correction
• improved awareness of posture, balance, and control
• a calmer response when tasks require effort or patience

These observations are not signs of performance or achievement. They are signs of organisation — of a child learning how to manage their body, attention, and effort together.

It’s also important to acknowledge what families may not notice:

• there may be plateaus
• some phases may feel awkward or inconsistent
• progress may slow during growth spurts
• confidence can fluctuate

None of these indicate failure or lack of benefit. They are part of normal development, especially in activities that demand coordination and control.

For parents, the value of understanding studies like Silvestri et al. lies not in expectation-setting, but in interpretation. It helps families recognise that development is often happening beneath the surface, even when visible progress feels uneven.