Impact of Direct Fine Motor Intervention on Handwriting

Structured fine motor lessons consisting of regulated fine motor materials and feedback is documented in the literature as a strategy for strengthening fine motor skills (Hamilton & Liu, 2017). The purpose of the present study was to determine (1) the mean duration of child engagement with fine motor materials within the classroom during free play, and (2) if direct intervention with fine motor materials, which promote pinch and grip strength, would impact handwriting performance. Children were observed during free play, interacting with materials. The hypothesis suggested interacting with fine motor materials, specifically promoting pinch and grip strength, would result in better handwriting. Data from pre- intervention writing samples and baseline observations were collected using a single case, multiple baseline, with interval recording. The Pinch and Grip Strength Intervention (PGSI) consisted of 10-minutes with 14 pinch and grip strength promoting choices. Results demonstrated that all children increased their engaged time with fine motor materials during the PGSI and increased name writing performance in all three children and increased compositional writing for two of the three children. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of developmentally appropriate interventions within the context of naturally occurring classroom routines to increase emergent writing in young children. Future research should focus on the intentional teaching of writing in young children using developmentally appropriate strategies

Children's Active Play during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Jakarta

The aim of this research is to describe active play among children in Jakarta during the COVID-19 pandemic. Active play is necessary for optimal child development, yet there are a lot of restriction to do so amidst the pandemic. Therefore, it is important to understand how children allowed active play while being restricted spatially. Main data were collected using semi structured online interview, analysed using qualitative descriptive approach. Four mothers of children from three to four years old participated, chosen purposively as typical samples. All of the four children involve in active play and show that the domain of locomotor, object, social and pretend play are present. The intensity of children to play outdoor seems less than usual. Since most of the activities are home-based, children often feel annoyed, outraged, and cry easier than they usually do. However, the problem can be solved if supportive environment is available that is parents are involved in active play every day during the pandemic

A review of the evidence on the use of ICT in the Early Years Foundation Stage

This report reviewed existing evidence on the potential of technology to support the development of educational policy and practice in the context of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Reference is made to the use of ICT by young children from aged birth to five years and its potential impacts, positive and negative on their cognitive, social, emotional educational, visual and physical development

Meeting technological challenges? Design and technology in schools 2007–10

Using evidence from Her Majesty’s Inspectors’ focused surveys of primary and secondary schools, this report evaluates the provision of design and technology (D&T) in the curriculum. Most pupils in all of the schools visited enjoyed designing and making products, solving problems and seeing their ideas taking shape. Achievement and provision in D&T were good in about two thirds of the primary schools and just under half of the secondary schools, particularly where up-to-date technologies were used and explained accurately to pupils. However, a lack of subject-specific training for teachers undermined efforts to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills, particularly in using electronics, developing control systems and using computers to aid designing and making. The report also addresses the challenges presented to schools in modernising the D&T curriculum so that it keeps pace with global technological development

Welcome to the Iowa Early Learning Standards : a professional development opportunity

In 2006, early learning standards were written in Iowa for children from birth to five years of age; however, very few opportunities were designed to inform early childhood personnel of the existence of lowa\u27s early learning standards, and how they were reflected in early childhood programming. In 2008, a grant from the Iowa Department of Management was awarded to Tammy Bormann of Early Learning and Caring Resources to write a training series for early childhood personnel based on the Iowa Early Learning Standards; Welcome to the Iowa Early Learning Standards. In 2010, Tammy worked with Child Care Resource and Referral of Central Iowa to design and offer a Train-the-Trainer workshop to provide training to instructors, who contract with Child Care Resource and Referral, on how to instruct the series. This project includes the outline for that Train-the-Trainer. Welcome to the Iowa Early Learning Standards and the Train-the-Trainer workshop were guided by three underlying questions: ( 1) What are early learning standards?, (2) What is contained in the Iowa Early Learning Standards?, and (3) What is effective professional development

Validity and reliability of a test of environmental supportiveness

1997 Spring.Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-54).Through playful interactions with people and objects an individual gains valuable knowledge about the world around them. These interactions are also crucial to nurturing play. Research shows the most prominent features of the environment that affect a child's play are--caregivers, playmates (of all ages), objects, and the physical surroundings. The development of a valid way to measure these important features is a crucial step in achieving the knowledge needed to promote play and playfulness. The Test of Environmental Supportiveness (TOES) was designed to provide a comprehensive picture of the environmental features that can affect play. The TOES assesses not just if the features are present but whether or not they are supportive for each child's play. This study investigated the TOES for preliminary validity and inter-rater reliability for use with children 19 to 121 months. The results show promise of both content and construct reliability as well as inter-rater reliability. The TOES was also found to be an easy tool to use requiring no special equipment. Minimal training is needed to score the items

Physical activity and gross motor skills in rural South African preschool children

Background: Global levels of overweight and obesity in preschool-aged children have increased dramatically in the last two decades, with most overweight and obese children younger than five years living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Statistics from the 2013 South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1) confirm that levels of overweight and obesity are high in South African preschool-aged children, with prevalence rates of overweight and obesity up to 18.2% and 4.7%, respectively. This increasing problem of overweight and obesity in South African preschoolaged children highlights the need for intervening in this age group. Overweight and obesity interventions in preschool children typically include one or more of the following behaviours: physical activity, sedentary behaviour and screen time. Aim and objectives: The aim of this study was to characterise the preschool environment in rural South Africa, and to explore physical activity, gross motor skill proficiency, sedentary behaviour and screen time in rural South African preschool-aged children. Additionally, aims of this study were to explore the associations between gross motor skills, body composition and physical activity; and to assess compliance with current physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines. Methods: Preschool-aged children (3-5 years old, n=131) were recruited from three Preschools and two Grade R (reception year) settings in Agincourt, a rural village in north eastern South Africa. In order to gain an understanding of the Preschool and Grade R settings, an observation of the preschool environments was conducted using a tool adapted from the Outdoor Play Environmental Categories scoring tool, Environmental and Policy Assessment and Observation instrument, and the Early Learning Environments for Physical Activity and Nutrition Environments Telephone Survey. Each child’s height and weight was measured. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured objectively using a hip-worn ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 days (24 hours, only removed for water-based activities). Gross motor skills were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development–Version 2 (TGMD-2). Physical activity and sedentary behaviour, including the contextual information for these behaviours, during the preschool day (08h00 until ±12h00) were measured using the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children (Preschool Version). A separate sample of parents/caregivers were recruited (n=143) to complete a questionnaire that was adapted from the Healthy Active Preschool Years questionnaire and Preschool Physical Activity Questionnaire. Parents reported on their child’s screen time, and on factors within the home and community contexts in which physical activity and sedentary behaviours occur. Results: In terms of the environment, the Preschools and Grade R settings differed in that fixed play equipment only featured in the Preschool settings. Grade R settings had more open space in which to play. All Preschool and Grade R settings provided children with limited portable play equipment, and none of the schools had access to screens. Although all children recruited for the study were preschool-aged, the Grade R children were significantly older than the Preschool children (5.6±0.3years vs. 4.4±0.4 years, p <0.05). According to IOTF cut-offs, the prevalence of overweight/obesity was low (5.0%) in the sample, and 68.1% of children were classified as normal weight. On average, children spent 477.2±77.3 minutes in light- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (LMVPA) per day, and 93.7±52.3 minutes in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). In terms of the new current guidelines (180min/day LMVPA, including 60min of MVPA, described as ‘energetic play’), and using average daily average of LMVPA and MVPA, 78.2% met current guidelines. Observed and objectively measured sedentary behaviour results revealed that children were more sedentary during preschool time (between 08:00 to 12:00) compared to the afternoons. Overall, boys were significantly more physically active than girls; and Preschool children did more physical activity during preschool time than Grade R children (all p< 0.05). Over 90% of the sample achieved an ‘average’ or better ranking for gross motor skill proficiency. The Grade R children were significantly more proficient than the Preschool children for all gross motor skill components (raw scores and standardised scores). Overall, boys achieved significantly better object control raw scores than the girls, and displayed greater proficiency than the girls in the strike (p=0.003), stationary dribble (p< 0.001) and kick (p< 0.001). None of the preschool or Grade R settings had access to screens such as televisions or iPads, and parent-reported screen time was low for the total sample (0.5±0.3hr/day). The majority of the sample (97.9%) met current screen time guidelines (<1 hour per day). Parents (82.5%) reported that they believed that their child did sufficient PA for their health, but 81.8% also reported believing that television time would not affect their child’s health. Parent responses revealed neighbourhood safety as a potential barrier to being physically active in the community. Conclusions: Rural preschool-aged children in South Africa appear to be engaged in adequate amounts of physical activity, particularly LMVPA, and are adequately proficient in gross motor skills. The children did not engage in excessive amounts of screen time. Overweight and obesity were not prevalent in this sample of rural preschool-aged children, and therefore it would appear that an intervention to reduce or prevent obesity by increasing physical activity, improving gross motor skills and reducing screen time is unnecessary. Rather, interventions that facilitate the increase in levels of MVPA in order to meet current physical activity guidelines are warranted. Additionally, it is essential that the high levels of physical activity (LMVPA) and good foundation of gross motor skills observed in this sample are promoted in an effort to maintain them throughout childhood. Future research may want to determine whether these activities (high levels of LMVPA, low levels of screen time) track throughout childhood and into adolescence

Video Modeling to Increase Interaction for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Museum Setting Using an Application on a Tablet

The purpose of this thesis was to perform an exploratory study to determine if the ScanDo! app intervention is an assistive technology that increases interaction for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a museum setting. The ScanDo! app intervention presented a video demonstration that modeled the interaction for each learning station by scanning the QR code attached to the station. Using a naturally occurring baseline single-subject design with ABA and reversed ABA phases, two children with ASD and their parents visited the grocery store exhibit at a children’s museum. Observers of the trials and questionnaires completed by parents before and after each trial documented play behaviors and location. We hypothesized that the intervention would increase quality interactions and length of play. Dependent variables were the location of the child and the quality of play for each ten seconds during the trial. The results showed that during the ScanDo! app intervention, both participants had a more even distribution of time spent at each station, increased transitions between stations, and decreased amount of time at stations where participants demonstrated unproductive play. These findings suggest that the ScanDo! App intervention helps increase transitions for children with ASD to provide more learning environments and productive play opportunities

Participation In A Movement Program and Its Impact on Pre-Academics: Pre-Literacy

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify the impact participation in a movement program has on prekindergarten-aged (4-5-year-old) children’s pre-literacy skills. Twelve children, prekindergarten age, 1 year before kindergarten eligibility, enrolled in a school readiness program, participated in the study for six weeks. The 12 children were divided into two groups, a treatment group that participated in the daily movement program and a control group that did not participate in the movement program but engaged in free choice activities in the classroom. The treatment group participated in the movement activities in a room separate from the classroom. This room designated as the S.M.A.R.T. room is where all the children enrolled in the early childhood program participated in the S.M.A.R.T. activities. Pre-literacy skills for all children in the preschool program were measured in the fall and in the spring in line with the program’s progress reporting schedule using Individual Growth and Development Indicators-Early Literacy® (IGDI’s-EL) Literacy (picture naming, rhyming, and alliteration). The movement program used was Stimulating Maturation Through Accelerated Readiness Training (S.M.A.R.T.) Early Childhood. The program, developed by A Chance to Grow, includes activities for training children in eye/hand coordination, mental focus, gross and fine motor skills, sequencing, left/right awareness, and spatial relations. Pre-literacy skill scores were compared between the two groups to determine if children who regularly participated in a structured movement program obtained higher scores than children who did not. Results for this sample indicate there was not a positive correlation of an increase in literacy scores for either group that participated in this study

A Resource Handbook for Planning and Implementing an Integrated Preschool Program

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a resource handbook to assist teachers and administrators responsible for implementing an integrated preschool program. To accomplish this purpose, research and literature relative to current integration delivery models, primarily those in Washington State were reviewed. The handbook developed was piloted in the Taholah, Washington School District