Sensory activities and visual-motor coordination to strengthen fine motor skills in early childhood education students

Abstract

Fine motor skills are a determining aspect of early childhood education, as they involve abilities that require precision, coordination, and control of small hand and finger movements. In this context, sensory activities are those in which children interact with different textures, shapes, sizes, and materials, while visual-motor coordination integrates visual perception with manual movements. The objectives of the study were, first, to determine the relationship between sensory activities, visual-motor coordination, and fine motor skills in early childhood education students; and second, to descriptively compare the performance of the two groups of students. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a descriptive-correlational scope and a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. The population consisted of 60 students, and the sample comprised 40 participants distributed into two groups, each consisting of 20 students. For data collection, a structured observation sheet was used, comprising 24 indicators determined through a four-level ordinal scale: Beginning, In Progress, Expected Achievement, and Outstanding Achievement. The activities considered included texture exploration, classification, threading, modeling, painting, cutting, transferring, and tracing. The analysis included descriptive statistics to establish comparisons between the groups, and more specifically, Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationships among the variables. The example results indicate positive associations between sensory activities, visual-motor coordination, and fine motor skills.