Digitizing the Canvas: Enhancing Early Childhood Fine Motor Skills through Touchscreen Finger Painting
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58418/ijeqqr.v5i1.204Keywords:
Fine Motor Skills, Early childhood education, Touchscreen Finger Painting, Haptic Interaction, Visual-Motor IntegrationAbstract
While empirical debates persist regarding the developmental impacts of screen time on early childhood, the pedagogical potential of touchscreen interfaces as positive motor stimulators remains under-explored. This study investigated the optimization of early childhood fine motor skills including finger flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and movement control through a structured touchscreen finger-painting intervention. Adopting a two-cycle action research framework, the intervention was deployed among 20 children aged 4 to 5 years. Data were gathered using a triangulated approach comprising systematic observation, practitioner interviews, and artifact documentation. Quantitative analysis revealed a significant developmental shift, where the percentage of children reaching high-level mastery of Developing as Expected and Very Well Developed increased from 65% in Cycle I to 80% in Cycle II. Beyond statistical gains, the qualitative insights demonstrated that the interactive haptic and visual feedback of the touchscreen interface significantly enhanced spatial control and visual-motor coordination. The primary contribution of this study lies in redefining digital interaction, demonstrating that touchscreen finger painting serves as an active pedagogical scaffolding tool rather than a medium for passive consumption.
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