Bridging Home and Kindergarten for Preschool Physical Activity: A Mixed-Methods Study of Urban Family–School Partnerships in China

An increasing body of research has identified insufficient physical activity in early childhood as a global developmental and health concern. This study investigates how collaborative practices between families and kindergartens influence children’s physical activity in early childhood settings. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and the overlapping spheres of influence framework, a mixed-methods design was employed, incorporating surveys, interviews, and classroom observations at Kindergarten in China. The findings identify four prominent problems: superficial parents–teachers' exercise goals alignment, one-way, instructor-led communication, ineffective home and school resource allocation, and occasional, homogeneous collaborative exercise activities. All these problems are based on systemic limitations, such as a lack of teacher training, parental knowledge deficits, rigid institutional mechanisms, and a lack of technology uptake. As a response, the study suggests four main strategies: shared values' coproduction, cross-sectoral resource aggregation, two-way digital communication, and AI-assisted personalized interventions. The research adds empirical knowledge and practical advice to the developing conversation of family–school partnerships and presents realistic avenues to enhance the quality and fairness of early childhood exercise promotion.