Future Directions for Movement Behavior Research in the Early Years

The early years, often defined as the first 4 years of life,1 is a significant period of development that has important implications for lifelong health.2 Therefore, ensuring children’s early experiences and environments support healthy physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development is crucial.2 Physical activity has been identified as one key behavior that can strengthen healthy development in the early years.3–5 Furthermore, the early years represent a critical window for establishing lifelong physical activity habits.4,6 International guidelines indicate that physical activity should be considered along with sedentary behavior and sleep,4 as these 3 movement behaviors make up the entire 24-hour period and the interactions among these behaviors can influence health.7–9 In comparison to other age groups, research on movement behaviors in the early years is less developed.8,10