Dot-Connecting Practice Improves Graphomotor Skills in Kindergarteners with Difficulties: Benefits of Varied Practice

Background/Objectives: Despite the high prevalence of graphomotor difficulties in young children, the therapeutic efficacy of dot-to-dot tracing practice remains underexplored. This study evaluated the impact of constant versus varied practice protocols on the visual–motor skills of 85 Arab Israeli kindergarteners (Mage = 68.86 months, SD = 3.93; 35 girls) exhibiting graphomotor challenges. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to constant practice (n = 28), varied practice with an identical trial volume (n = 29), or a no-intervention control group (n = 28). Varied practice involved systematic changes in the spatial orientation of the dot-connecting pattern, while constant practice involved repetition of the same configuration. Visual–motor abilities were assessed pre- and post-intervention using four subtests of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-2): Eye–Hand Coordination, Copying, Spatial Relations, and Visual–Motor Speed. Results: Results demonstrated that both intervention groups achieved significantly greater gains on all DTVP-2 subtests than the control group. Furthermore, the varied practice group outperformed the constant practice group on three key measures, supporting the varied practice hypothesis in motor learning. Conclusions: These findings indicate that structured dot-connecting tasks effectively enhance graphomotor capabilities, with varied practice offering distinct advantages for visual–motor precision, feature copying, and spatial skill transfer. These findings suggest that varied dot-connecting practice may be a useful component of early graphomotor interventions. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously, as functional handwriting was not directly assessed and the contribution of increased visuospatial demands cannot be excluded.