The effect of affordances in the home environment on children’s fine- and gross motor skills

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study investigated the effects of motor affordances in the home environment on fine- and gross motor skills of young children aged of 18–42 months. Methodology: Homes were assessed using the Persian translation of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Self-Report, while motor skill behaviour was evaluated with the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3). Findings: Results indicated that the home and its varied dimensions had a significant relationship with the status of fine- and gross motor skill behaviour. Specifically, the dimension of Inside Space was the most important predictor of gross-motor skill development, while the availability of Fine-Motor Toys was a significant predictor of fine- motor skill. In addition, SES (income, parental education) was associated with level of affordances in the home. Conclusions: These results add to the growing understanding that home motor affordances can have a significant influence on a young child’s motor skills development.

KEYWORDS:

• Affordances
• home environment
• motor skills

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to all children involved in the study, as without them this project could not have been achieved.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Saeed Valadi has completed his MA from Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch. He has published several articles in prestigious journals (English and Persian).

Carl Gabbard is a Professor and Director of the Child Motor Development Lab in the Motor Neuroscience Division at Texas A&M University, and a Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology. He has published over 250 articles of research and application related to motor development and physical activity.