On a sample of 83 children (42 boys), preschool age (mean age: 5 years and 7 month), global relations of motor and social competences were investigated. Motor test for 4 to 6-year-old children (Motoriktest für vier-bis sechsjärige Kinder: MOT 4 − 6; Zimmer and Volkamer, 1987.) and Preschool Social Behaviour Questionnaire (Tremblay et al., 1992.) were employed. Differences between girls and boys were not established in motor competences but the girls achieved significantly higher results (t=-2.27, p=.03) in social competence than the boys.
MOT 4 − 6 raw scores were converted in motor quotient based on provided norms and the children were divided in five groups. There were more boys (N=10) in low ability groups than girls (N=5).
Pearson correlation between MOT 4 − 6 and social competence was significant for the girls (.49; p< .05) but not for the boys.
ANOVA 2×3 (gender x motor rank) established significant differences in interaction of gender and motor rank [F(2,77)=3.82, p=.026], although the size of statistical effect was small (partial eta squared = .090).
Bonferroni post hoc test showed that girls with high motor and social competences differentiated significantly from other groups.
