Early fine motor skills predict later arithmetic skills in most longitudinal studies, but not when executive functions are controlled¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · reviewr3·q2–q3
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Six of seven cohort or longitudinal studies showed FMS significantly predicted arithmetic skills years later, with effect sizes the review describes as ranging from very small to large without printed values. → Maëlle Neveu 2023
q2 i? One longitudinal study found the predictive value of FMS failed to reach significance once executive functions were added to the model. → Maëlle Neveu 2023 (2)
Evidence¶
Maëlle Neveu 2023¶
Maëlle Neveu, Marie Geurten, Nancy Durieux, Laurence Rousselle. (2023). Finger Use and Arithmetic Skills in Children and Adolescents: a Scoping Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09722-8
q3 · i? · review · r3
The review's synthesis of seven cohort or longitudinal studies on whether early FMS predict later arithmetic skills; six showed FMS were "a significant predictor of arithmetic skills" with effect sizes described only as ranging from very small to large.
"Six of them showed that FMS were a significant predictor of arithmetic skills, with effect sizes ranging from very small to large (Asakawa & Sugimura, 2014; Barnes et al., 2011; Dinehart & Manfra, 2013; Jenks et al., 2009; Siegel, 1992; VanRooijen et al., 2015)."
Maëlle Neveu 2023 (2)¶
Maëlle Neveu, Marie Geurten, Nancy Durieux, Laurence Rousselle. (2023). Finger Use and Arithmetic Skills in Children and Adolescents: a Scoping Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09722-8
q2 · i? · review · r3
One longitudinal study (Michel et al., 2020) found the predictive value of FMS "failed to reach significance when executive functions were added to the statistical model." No effect size printed.
"one study showed that the predictive value of FMS failed to reach significance when executive functions were added to the statistical model (Michel et al., 2020)."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Fine motor skills training improves children's arithmetic skills in some trials but not others — related
- Fine motor skills show a significant moderate overall correlation (r = .329) with academic-cognitive skills in children and adolescents — related
- Preschool working memory–flexibility predicts later math achievement, especially in Grade 3 — related
- Fine motor skills correlate more strongly with overall academic-cognitive skills (r = .302) than gross motor skills (r = .170) in children aged 3–16 — related
- FiMS relate more strongly than GMS to reading, writing, mathematics, general academics and cognition, but not to language; GMS show no significant link to general academic skills — related
- Finger gnosis is not a meaningful correlate of early arithmetic in this sample — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
fms-predict-later-arithmetic |
title |
Early fine motor skills predict later arithmetic skills in most longitudinal studies, but not when executive functions are controlled |
description |
Early fine motor skills predict later arithmetic skills in most longitudinal studies, but not when executive functions are controlled |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
mixed |
newest_evidence |
2023 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-22 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — maëlle-neveu-2023, maëlle-neveu-2023-2 |
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