PSYCHOMOTRICITY AS A PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE: EFFECTS ON PSYCHOMOTOR AND SOCIO-AFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

This article analyses the effects of a systematic psychomotor intervention, conducted by na educator, on 5-year-old children in early childhood education. The quantitative-qualitative, descriptive and comparative study involved an Intervention Group (IG) and a Control Group (CG). The results showed that, after 12 weeks of activities, the IG showed statistically significant improvements in all psychomotor elements evaluated, including overall coordination (p < 0.001), body schema (p < 0.001), laterality (p = 0.03), spatial structuring (p = 0.02) and temporal structuring (p = 0.05), while the CG remained stable. Additionally, the correlation analysis in the IG revealed a positive impact on the socio-affective domain, with a strong negative correlation between affectivity and aggressiveness (r = -0.667; p = 0.005), suggesting that the intervention promoted emotional regulation and conflict reduction. It is concluded that psychomotor activity, when integrated into pedagogical planning, is an effective and essential practice for comprehensive motor and socio-affective development in Early Childhood Education.