Physically Active Play as a Context for Motor Learning in Children with and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Conceptual Synthesis of Cross-Domain Alignment

Background/Objectives: Physically active play (PA-play) offers natural, self-directed, and varied opportunities for physical activity and motor skill development in children. It is often viewed as a rich context for learning, yet how PA-play systematically supports the core concepts and elements of motor learning (ML) requires a closer examination in typically developing (TD) children and those with neurodevelopmental disorders such as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Methods: A two-part integrative conceptual synthesis was conducted to explore how core ML concepts are reflected in children’s PA-play. Part 1 involved a synthesis of the play literature, analyzed through an ML lens in TD children. Part 2 involved synthesizing the literature on ML elements and characteristics of PA-play in children with DCD. Results: In Part 1, the conceptual synthesis highlighted that PA-play in TD children enables conditions supportive of ML, including both implicit and explicit learning, high-volume practice, task variability, progressive challenge, and feedback through verbal and non-verbal cues. In Part 2, the synthesis highlighted ML difficulties in children with DCD, such as slow, effortful learning with reduced adaptability and greater performance variability. Additionally, the synthesis highlighted limited DCD evidence using PA-play as an ecological context for ML. Conclusions: Overall, PA-play could offer environments consistent with ML elements in TD children, yet evidence for its effectiveness in children with DCD remains limited. Future research should explore how PA-play can be leveraged to address the specific ML challenges faced by children with DCD.