The development of motor planning strategies in children

Fine motor skills develop in childhood. In this study, we evaluate motor planning in 6- to 11-year-old children using a pegboard and midline crossing task. The results of the pegboard task showed that children modified their strategies of hand use and space use as a function of age, albeit with a tr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inEuropean journal of developmental psychology Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 1 - 17
Main Authors Serrien, Deborah J., O'Regan, Louise
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hove Routledge 02.01.2021
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Action planning
Age Differences
bimanual coordination
Brain Hemisphere Functions
Child Behavior
Child Development
Children & youth
Comparative Analysis
Developmental Stages
hand use
Lateral Dominance
Motor ability
Motor Development
Motor Reactions
Psychomotor Skills
space use
Task Analysis
Visual Perception
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Fine motor skills develop in childhood. In this study, we evaluate motor planning in 6- to 11-year-old children using a pegboard and midline crossing task. The results of the pegboard task showed that children modified their strategies of hand use and space use as a function of age, albeit with a transition in the 8- to 9-year-old children. The data from the midline crossing task mirrored these results by showing that the children of this age group changed their hand use in contralateral space. Combined, these findings propose a developmental synchrony between crossing the midline and bimanual coordination, and suggest the establishment of the left hemisphere's dominance for visuo-manual tasks. Overall, the results highlight that the strategy used for performing manual skills gradually evolve towards mature behaviour, with an important developmental phase at around the age of 8-9 years that impacts the children's motor abilities.
ISSN:1740-5629
1740-5610
DOI:10.1080/17405629.2020.1736029