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The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of age and gender on balance skills in preschool children. For that purpose, the balance subtest of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Bruininks, 1978) was administered to 283 children, 4'Á-6 years old (M= 61.77 months, SD= 5.43). For the data analysis, both an ANOVA and a MANOVA were applied on the total subtest score and the eight item scores, respectively. Age was found to have a significant effect on both the subtest (F2. 277= 32.77, p<. 001, rf=. 19) and item scores (min. F2jj7= 17.78, p<. 001, min. rf=. 11). Significant gender differences were found in the subtest score (F, 277= 14.70, p<. 001, rj^=. 05) and on six of the items (min. F2, 277= 4.35, p<. 038, min. rf=. 01). However, the low values of the rf associated with gender indicated that those differences were not of great significance.