SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Human Developmental Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1620235
Fine Motor Skills Assessment Instruments for Preschool Children With Typical Development: A Scoping Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- 2QingDao University, QingDao, China
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Purpose: This study aims to systematically evaluate the available scientific knowledge on fine motor skills assessment instruments for typically developing preschool children. Methods: Relevant literature was systematically retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, Medline, CNKI, and Wanfang databases from their inception to June 9, 2023. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), included literature was compiled and analyzed. Results: In total, 58 studies reporting 14 instruments met inclusion criteria: performance-based tests (n = 11), informant-based questionnaires (n = 2), and one computer-assisted tool. Based on different types and development purposes, the measurement dimensions and items had varying emphases, and there is no recognized gold standard yet. The reliability of measurements was generally good, while validity needs improvement. Conclusion: Given the distinct strengths and limitations of available FMS assessment tools, we suggest that selection should align with specific objectives: the ASQ may be most suitable for large-scale screening, the MABC for general FMS assessment in small groups, the Beery VMI for visual-motor integration, and the TIHM for fine motor control assessment.
Keywords: preschooler, Children, Fine motor skill, Instruments, Scoping review
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Lin and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bai-Fa Zhang, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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