La importancia del juego en el desarrollo de la motricidad gruesa en educación inicial en edades de 3 a 5 años: revisión sistemática narrativa con foco etario en los 4 años

It is widely recognized that the progressive development of gross motor skills during early childhood is considered one of the fundamental milestones for the establishment of key motor patterns, coordination, and postural control. The objective of this study is to conduct a narrative systematic review of the literature related to play as a pedagogical strategy for gross motor development in early childhood education for children aged 3 to 5 years, with a focus on 4-year-olds. A narrative systematic review was conducted following the recommendations of the PRISMA 2020 statement. The literature search was conducted in academic databases and institutional repositories of universities, with inclusion criteria for studies conducted between 2017 and 2025 that addressed play-based strategies and gross motor development in children aged 3 to 5 years, prioritizing data extraction when a subgroup or mean age of 4 years was reported. Following the identification, screening, and eligibility phases, 19 documents—including scientific articles and academic theses—were selected for analysis. The results were presented through a thematic narrative synthesis due to methodological heterogeneity among study designs, assessment instruments, and intervention characteristics. The findings suggest a positive trend toward the use of play as a pedagogical resource to stimulate skills related to locomotion, coordination, balance, strength, and body control. Teacher mediation, peer interaction, the progressive organization of activities, and the contextualized inclusion of games also emerged as significant factors. It is concluded that play is a relevant pedagogical strategy for early childhood education; however, the results must be interpreted while considering the methodological differences among studies and the limitations found in the available evidence.