Abstract Underachievers are children who show academic performance that is lower than what would be expected for their IQ. Previous research has investigated a number of variables that might explain underachievement and recently fine motor skills (FMS) have been implicated as playing an important role. We extend this work by exploring the influence of FMS and attention on underachievement and achievement. Fourth-grade children in Germany (n = 357, age = 10.8) were tested on measures of intelligence, attention, and FMS, and teachers were asked to report grades in mathematics. Amongst other findings, analyses indicated that underachievers had lower attention and FMS and that attention mediated the relation between FMS and maths achievement. Overall, the current findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that FMS play an important role in underachievement and are, therefore, a candidate for inclusion in the identification processes
