The Effects of Inactivity During The COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychomotor Skills of Kindergarten Students

Background. Possession of motor skills from an early age by interacting with the outdoor environment has a long-term effect on physical activity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a restriction to interacting directly with it especially kindergarten students when doing online learning or learning from home due to pandemic health measures. There is a series of literature that reviews the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on several aspects of human life, but a lack of attention remains on the impact of the disease on motor skills development for kindergarten students. Objectives. To reveal the extent to which the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the motor skills of these kids. Methods. The method used in this research is described with a quantitative approach. 80 kindergarten students were included in the sample, consisting of 45 boys and 35 girl students in the city of Padang, Indonesia with an age range of 4 to 5 years. A motor skills test was conducted using TGMD-2. Results. After dealing with all data, findings showcased that the level of motor skills of these students was reduced during the pandemic when compared to before the outbreak. While before the pandemic, such a level of motor skills was in the average category whereas during the pandemic it shifted to the poor category. Conclusion. This study provides the actual state of the impact of the pandemic COVID-19 on kindergarten students on their motor skills development.