Abstract:

At present, the number of touch devices is increasing. This trend first mostly occurred in mobile devices, but is gradually moving into the automotive industry. Some manufacturers have already found that speed and ease of operation for basic functions are better preserved when using physical controls. Because it is enough to “push” or “click” the individual devices, which thus reduces the level of fine motor skills, i.e. the dexterity of the fingers.
A bigger problem arises in children, who should develop fine motor skills in preschool age. However, since they are not forced to use the fingers on different devices, there is no development. All these problems then manifest themselves in adulthood when they are unable to perform activities requiring precise finger coordination.
The aim of this research is to verify the levels of fine motor skills using non-standardised tests (products). Because the performance of an adult or a child is also determined by the motivation with which the activity is performed, we decided to use the whole product instead of activities used for standardised tests (e.g. screwing, moving objects), evaluating individual parts, including time. It may be more motivating for children to make something nice than just manipulating items according to the assignment.
This research is a continuation of a previous one, in which paper was used as the main material. Wires and beads were used for this part of the pilot verification. A total of 36 children aged 4–6 years were tested on two selected wire and bead products. A test board with holes for passing through was also included, which is close to standardised tests. Each child made two products, which were evaluated and the performance measured on the test board. The basic result is that the level of fine motor skills in the pilot sample of children is the same for both the products and the test board. The use of aluminium wire was confirmed to be suitable as all inaccuracies can be seen in the evaluation. However, to confirm the results, we will have to test it on a larger sample of children.

Keywords:

Tests fine motor skills, kindergarten, development of children’s fine motor skills, wires and beads.