The Effects of Directed Fine Motor Activities on Kindergarten Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if kindergarten students who participated in structured fine motor activities increased their fine motor skills as compared to students who received instruction in a regular kindergarten program with no additional activities related to fine motor development. The intervention included fine motor activities such as cutting, writing/drawing, and manipulation of small objects. The study consisted of two groups of students with delayed fine motor skills. The students in each group were identified as having fine motor delays by their classroom teacher using the Teacher Observation of Learning, TOOL. A pre and post-test quasi-experimental design was used to examine the effects of the intervention program on the students’ fine motor development. The measurement used in the pre and post test was the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales second edition, PDMS-2. Statistically significant gains in fine motor development were noted in the intervention group’s post-test scores for both visual motor integration and grasping. The research supported that a directed intervention program for developing fine motor skills would make a significant impact in students’ motor development. Further research needs to be conducted to see if the results of this study are long lasting.