Abstract:

Writing and reading are considered to be one of the basic skills that guarantee learning for a child. That is why, it is significant that these skills are mastered by the child to the highest degree. Currently, kindergartens in Poland are expected to fulfil the key tasks which include preparing children to learn how to write and read. Namely, their main aim is to stimulate the child's interest especially in the aspect of proper recognition of letters.

In regard to learning how to write and read, specialists draw attention to the need to shape motor skills, both gross and fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and balance. According to them, the mastery of these skills will ensure the child's readiness to read and write acquired in kindergarten, and then full acquisition of these skills in primary school. Problems which are connected with learning how to read and write, which some children might have in the future, can be diagnosed very early. Kindergarten is a professionally prepared institution providing early childhood education and care. Therefore, it is justified and necessary to carry out tests diagnosing the development of motor skills in pre-school children because the results of this type of research will be helpful both for children’s parents and teachers in conducting didactic work with children, and in some cases in early pedagogical therapy both in kindergarten and in specialized pedagogical support centres.

The aim of the research was to diagnose the level of motor development of 120 children at the age of 6 attending randomly chosen kindergartens in Poland in Biała Podlaska district, to which recruitment was conducted on the principles of universal accessibility. In the study, a standardized test prepared by N. I. Ozierecki and adapted to the Polish needs by Aleksander Barański was used to diagnose motor skills in children. Six exercises in this test illustrate the various symptoms of neuromuscular coordination. If these exercises are applied, the basic mechanism of motor skills and physical fitness of a person participating in the research can be evaluated. The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage was carried out at the beginning of the 2017/2018 school year, the second one after 6 months. The results of the research were quite varied. In the vast majority of cases, children achieved an average level of their skills development, whereas in the second stage of the study, the progress in the development of these skills was noted. However, the results achieved by some children were below average and this was the basis for undertaking activities supporting the development of motor skills in the form of specialized therapeutic activities. Thus, it seems to be a reasonable thesis that the results of the conducted research can have a significant impact on determining the level of achieving school readiness in one of the essential elements and will help to develop the path of future student development using knowledge about his/her strengths and weaknesses.

Keywords:

Children, kindergarten, child’s development, motor skills, graphomotor skills, teachers.