Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Deb Byram-Hanson

Keywords

Child Development; Motor Skills

Abstract

In the educational setting today, children are asked to acquire advanced academic skills at a faster pace and earlier age. Children entering the first years of school exhibit variances in their physical maturity levels, which affects both fine and gross motor skills and their performance in daily school occupations. Frequently, young children are unable to keep up with their kindergarten curriculum. Currently, the programs available to work on motor development in kindergarten age students focus solely on pre-writing skills and handwriting instruction. These programs lack information on motor skill development, home program activities, and specific occupations that kindergarten students are expected to complete during a typical school day. An extensive literature review was conducted and pertinent information was gathered to help illustrate the need for the product and guide the development of the product. A manual was developed to provide parents and teachers of kindergarten age students with information and resources for motor skills training and to give children opportunities to practice motor skills in the school and home environments. The manual is divided into three appendices. Appendix A is a parent manual on motor skills development. Appendix B is a teacher manual to focus on motor skills development in the school environment. . Information in the manual includes the developmental progression of motor skills, a quick motor skills screening tool, resource lists for parents and teachers, background information on motor skills areas, occupations children complete in school, an activity guide for the motor skills areas, and a complete reference list. Appendix C was included in the manual to provide teacher workshop information on how to use the manual in the classroom setting. This manual will be a valuable reference tool for parents and teachers of kindergarten age students to assist with motor skill development for occupations completed in the school environment.

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