The Ko¨rperkoordinationsTest fu¨r Kinder: reference values and suitability for 6–12-year-old children in Flanders B. Vandorpe 1 , J. Vandendriessche 1 , J. Lefevre 2 , J. Pion 1 , R. Vaeyens 1 , S. Matthys 1 , R. Philippaerts 1 , M. Lenoir 1 1 Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, 2 Department of Biomedical Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Corresponding author: Barbara Vandorpe, Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Tel: 132 9 264 94 41, Fax: 132 9 264 64 84, E-mail: barbara.vandorpe@ugent.be Accepted for publication 5 November 2009 An adequate coordination level in children is important for their general development, but also for health, psychosocial, academic and well-being-related reasons. In this study, the suitability of the Ko¨ rperkoordinationsTest fu¨r Kinder (KTK) as an assessment instrument for the gross motor coordination was evaluated in 2470 children from 26 ele- mentary schools for general education spread over the Flemish and Brussels-capital region. All children performed four subtests: walking backwards (WB), moving sideways (MS), hopping for height (HH) and jumping sideways (JS). Age and gender-specific values were established for the Flemish children anno 2008. Overall, the current sample scored significantly worse than their 1974 German counter- parts (Po0.001). Score distribution showed 21% of the children being placed in the problematic range of gross motor coordination level. A decline in coordination was observed especially in those tasks relying primarily on coordinative capacities (WB and MS), while improvements or status quo in those tasks relying on strength and speed (JS and HH) were explained by secular trends. We suggest that the KTK is a valuable instrument for the assessment of the gross motor coordination of Flemish children and efforts should be made in order to face the decline in coordination. In everyday life, an adequate motor coordination level, and more specifically, the mastering of motor skills, is required for normal functioning (Henderson & Sugden, 1992). Children need a repertoire of gross and fine motor skills ranging from running and jumping to writing and drawing to meet the demands of school, home, sports and the social environment. Poor motor coordination not only hampers the development of motor skills, but can also affect academic achievement, the children’s perceived com- petence, their participation in physical activity and social interactions and success within their peer groups (Losse et al., 1991; Bouffard et al., 1996; Piek & Skinner, 2001). Children lacking gross motor skills are at a risk of being less physically active, which in turn will restrict opportunities for develop- ing motor competence (Bouffard et al., 1996). Wrot- niak et al. (2006) demonstrated that good motor competence is positively associated with physical activity and inversely related to sedentary activity. From this point of view, increasing the gross motor skill level of children might help promote increased physical activity. Recently, Barnett et al. (2008) found that object control in childhood is predictive of cardiorespiratory fitness in adulthood. Also, Stod- den et al. (2008) contend that the level of gross motor skill in childhood plays a crucial role in the initiation and maintenance of physical activity and fitness through adulthood, which is important in the fight against obesity and a number of chronic heart dis- eases (Gutin et al., 2004). Overall, there is consensus that good motor coordination is important for the health and well-being of children (Henderson & Sugden, 1992; Hay & Missiuna, 1998; Piek & Skin- ner, 2001; Pra¨torius & Milani, 2004; Ko¨lle, 2006; Haga, 2008). Gross motor coordination cannot be evaluated independently from the pure fitness characteristics like strength, speed, endurance and flexibility. The majority of test batteries consist of items measuring physical capacities and items measuring coordinative capacities of children, for example the Bruininks- Oseretsky Test for Motor Proficiency 2 (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005), a test primarily used to identify children with motor problems. Other test batteries contain items that clearly appeal to both the physical and the coordinative properties of the child. In terms of health, the physical components in relation to gross motor coordination have been evaluated ex- tensively. For example, in the Eurofit test battery (Council of Europe, 1988), the test ‘‘plate tapping’’ builds upon speed as well as upon coordination of Scand J Med Sci Sports 2011: 21: 378–388 & 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01067.x 378