Antera 3D(®) , such as Mexameter(®) MX-18 and Colorimeter(®) CL-400, are robust, sensitive and precise equipment for the skin colour analysis.

Despite the general agreement that the interdisciplinary model of physical education (PE), based on the incorporation of core academic subjects into the PE curriculum, stimulates the holistic development of students, there is still a lack of methods for its implementation. Therefore, Eduball was created, i.e., a method that uses educational balls with printed letters, numbers, and other signs. Numerous studies have shown that children participating in activities with Eduballs can develop their physical fitness while simultaneously improving their academic performance, particularly in math and language, including some writing skills. However, little is known about the effects of Eduball on children’s graphomotor skills, which are key for the academic performance of students throughout the entire schooling process. Here, we investigate whether 6-month participation in PE with Eduball stimulates graphomotor skills in primary school students, such as drawing prehandwriting letter patterns on unlined or lined paper and rewriting text on unlined or lined paper. Our results show that the Eduball class (N = 28) significantly improved these skills compared to the control class (N = 26) participating in traditional PE. For example, students from the experimental group wrote with a lower pen pressure and better stability of the line, in contrast to those from the control group. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the Eduball method successfully supports teachers in developing graphomotor skills in children. More broadly, our findings make clear once again that there is the need to integrate physical and cognitive development in education, which can be achieved by using an interdisciplinary model of PE.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the quality and speed of handwriting and the process characteristics of the handwriting of children in the second grade of elementary school considered as a function of age and gender. A sample of 57 children (mean age 7.25 years, SD 0.43) participated in the study. The Concise Assessment Method for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) was used to assess the quality and speed of handwriting. The characteristics of the process of handwriting were assessed using MovAlyzeR® software. The handwriting of boys showed a significantly greater number of strokes and slanted more to the right than the handwriting of girls. Handwriting quality and speed significantly correlated with several process characteristics: the number of strokes, reaction time, duration, relative pen-down duration, average pen pressure, vertical size, horizontal size, road length, and average absolute velocity. This research contributes to the construction of normative values in the process characteristics of the handwriting of elementary school children and provides a promising step towards the early identification of difficulties that can lead to dysgraphia, thus preventing later difficulties in handwriting.