Effects of Dance and Rhythmic Physical Activity Interventions on Executive Function and Motor Competence in Children: A Systematic Review and Three-Level Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

Dance and rhythmic physical activity may support motor and cognitive development in children, but the magnitude and consistency of these effects remain uncertain, and individual trials frequently contribute multiple statistically dependent outcomes. Five electronic databases and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to May 2026. Executive function (EF) and motor competence (MC) were analyzed as separate primary domains using multilevel random-effects models with an estimated sampling variance-covariance structure and trial-clustered CR2 robust inference. Cluster-randomized designs, shared controls, and overlapping reports were explicitly accounted for. Twenty-two reports representing 21 unique trials and 2496 unique children were included. The primary EF model included 34 core-EF effect sizes from seven trials and yielded g = 0.50 (95% CI [-0.04, 1.04], p = 0.063; 95% PI [-1.24, 2.24]). The MC model included 103 effect sizes from 17 trials and showed a positive average effect (g = 0.95, 95% CI [0.39, 1.52], p = 0.003; 95% PI [-1.43, 3.34]). Trial-clustered dose-response models did not identify statistically supported associations for intervention duration, total minutes, weekly frequency, or session duration. Certainty of evidence was very low for EF and low for MC. Dance and rhythmic physical activity may improve motor competence in children on average, although effects vary substantially across settings. Executive-function findings remain preliminary and statistically uncertain. Current evidence does not support causal recommendations for longer interventions or higher total doses.