La Euritmia pedagógica como disciplina integradora: un análisis de sus contribuciones al desarrollo psicomotriz en el nivel inicial

Authors

Abstract

Introduction: Pedagogical eurythmy integrates movement, rhythm, music, language, and bodily expression, elements associated with different components of psychomotor development during early childhood. This study aimed to analyze the foundations and potential contributions of pedagogical eurythmy to psychomotor development in early childhood education from an integrative perspective, as a basis for the design of a pedagogical proposal. A mixed-methods approach was employed, with a descriptive and interpretive scope and a one-group pre-experimental pretest-posttest design. Participants included four Early Childhood Education teachers and twenty children aged four to five from the José Otero González Public Basic Education School. Semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and a structured observation form including eight psychomotor and participation indicators were used. Based on the initial diagnosis, an eight-session pedagogical program grounded in principles of eurythmy was designed and implemented. The results showed favorable changes across all eight indicators: the overall percentage of favorable responses increased from 58.1% in the pretest to 81.9% in the posttest, representing an increase of 23.8 percentage points. Spatial orientation showed the largest improvement, increasing from 45% to 80%. The proposal also received an overall score of 5.00 out of 5.00 through evaluation by three experts. It is concluded that the program represents a relevant pedagogical alternative for organizing integrated psychomotor experiences in early childhood education; however, due to the pre-experimental design and the absence of a control group, the observed changes cannot be attributed exclusively to the intervention.

References

Berner, E. (2023). Rudolf Steiner’s “Eurythmy”: Between originality and Zeitgeist. Paedagogica Historica, 59(6), 1197–1215. https://doi.org/10.1080/00309230.2021.2001022

Bourke, M., Haddara, A., Loh, A., Saravanamuttoo, K. A., Bruijns, B. A., & Tucker, P. (2024). Effect of capacity building interventions on classroom teacher and early childhood educator perceived capabilities, knowledge, and attitudes relating to physical activity and fundamental movement skills: A systematic review and meta- analysis. BMC Public Health, 24, 1409. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024- 18907-x

Chen, D., Zhao, G., Fu, J., Shun, S., Su, L., He, Z., Chen, R., Jiang, T., Hu, X., Li, Y., & Shen, F. (2024). Effects of structured and unstructured interventions on fundamental motor skills in preschool children: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1345566. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1345566

Jara-Fuentes, N., & Lepe-Martínez, N. (2022). Relación entre el desarrollo psicomotor y funciones ejecutivas en la primera infancia de niños/as de 3 a 5 años. Revista Ecuatoriana de Neurología, 31(3), 55–61. https://doi.org/10.46997/revecuatneurol31300055

Jylänki, P., Mbay, T. C. I., Hakkarainen, A., Sääkslahti, A., & Aunio, P. (2022). The effects of motor skill and physical activity interventions on preschoolers’ cognitive and academic skills: A systematic review. Preventive Medicine, 155, 106948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106948

Laure, M., & Habe, K. (2024). Stimulating the development of rhythmic abilities in preschool children in Montessori kindergartens with music-movement activities: A quasi-experimental study. Early Childhood Education Journal, 52, 563–574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01459-x

Malambo, C., Nová, A., Clark, C., & Musálek, M. (2022). Associations between fundamental movement skills, physical fitness, motor competency, physical activity, and executive functions in pre-school age children: A systematic review. Children, 9(7), 1059. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9071059

Miraflores Gómez, E., & Goldaracena Arboleda, I. (2021). Análisis de la psicomotricidad a través de la práctica psicomotriz de Bernard Aucouturier: Estudio de casos. Retos, 39, 620–627. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i39.81781

Muir, R. A., Howard, S. J., & Kervin, L. (2023). Interventions and approaches targeting early self-regulation or executive functioning in preschools: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review, 35, 27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023- 09740-6

Rawson, M. (2021). Steiner Waldorf pedagogy in schools: A critical introduction. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429319679

Silva Delgado, M. de J., Guzmán Silva, N. J., Silva Delgado, E. S., & Altamirano Cortez, S. P. (2024). Análisis de la calidad de la enseñanza de la expresión corporal y la motricidad en la Educación Inicial: Una revisión sistemática. Ciencia y Educación, 5(7), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12720993

UNESCO. (2022). Tashkent declaration and commitments to action for transforming early childhood care and education.

United Nations Children’s Fund. (2023). Early childhood development: UNICEF vision for every child.

Yang, Y., Mao, X., Li, W., Wang, B., & Fan, L. (2025). A meta-analysis of the effect of physical activity programs on fundamental movement skills in 3–7-year-old children. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1489141. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1489141