Connecting-the-Dots: A Play-Based Approach to Develop Kindergarten’s Skills in Tracing Lines and Patterns

System Analysis in Education

Tracing can be a challenging skill for a young child in the early stages of development. It requires some spatial awareness, concentration, and naturally, the use of tools. One of the tools to be used is tracing lines and patterns. Tracing lines and patterns is considered as the first fundamental way of writing. Tracing proves to have a beneficial in the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. In Magsaysay Elementary School, tracing of lines and patterns is among the least mastered competencies in kindergarten during the first quarter of the school year 2025-2026 based on the assessment. Another proof is the result of pupils’ activity where 12 boys and 6 girls or 18 out of 25 kindergarten pupils fell in the beginning mastery level and thus need immediate intervention. To develop the identified pupils’ least learned competency in tracing, an intervention called connecting-the-dots: a play-based approach was employed. Throughout the second quarter, these kindergarten pupils underwent a series of structured activities every afternoon during a 30-minute session. At the end of the quarter, they were given a final assessment to ascertain the effectiveness of the intervention. Results revealed that after employing connecting-the-dots: a play-based approach, there was a significant effect in the pupils’ mastery level in tracing the lines and patterns, since there was a development on their writing based on the final assessment results. From beginning mastery to nearing mastery levels, it is interpreted that the learners have improved because of the given intervention.

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