The relationship between play-development and training-development can be examined; but in addition play provides a vast opportunity for the transformation of needs and awareness. Action in daydreams, the creation of intents, the formation of plans for life and motives are all appear in play is most highly developed during the preschool years. The child develops mostly through play activities. From this point, play can be considered to be a guiding activity, which determines the development of the child. Most fine motor skills appear approximately from the age of 4 with the tripod pinch, and development is completed by the age of 6. These skills can be assessed in pre-school children as a means for finding any delay in the development of hand motor skills. This study examines the effect of play on the development of fine movement of the hand. The findings of this study have the potential to assist occupational therapists designing intervention plans.

From 1930 to 1960 specialists tried to explain the different aspects of play in terms of a basic framework. These efforts formed a foundation for the use of play as a means of diagnosis. Assessment through play has become common in the last two decades. Parten (1932) was the first to describe the development of play behaviors. His observation made it possible to consider specific time criteria for emergence of individual play from birth to two years. Berlyne (1969) proposed a theory on the basis of inner motive suggesting that play is related to exploration. Therefore it is described as an equalizer for the excitement of a living organism. Bruner (1972) states that play is an opportunity to create new motor skills, in particular hand skills, which are necessary for tool use. In this way childhood play provides a calm activity in which the behavior components of complicated skills which are required for adulthood come together in a new way without any anxiety or pressure.

Schaaf (1990) implemented the sensory integration approach in occupational therapy for pre-school children and showed the effect of treatment through the assessment of play behaviors. Bundy (1993) states that occupational therapists use play as a means for creating therapeutic success. He recommends that occupational therapists should provide an exact definition of play. Since play is an important means for intervention, it should be distinguished from non-play activities. If occupational therapists believe in the importance of play they will take it very seriously. The treatment of the basic components of skills, such as fine and gross motor skills, which exist in a child's play, can be an intervention approach (Bundy & Clifford, 1989). The main aim of this study was to determine the extent of the effect of educational play on the fine motor skills of 4-6 year-old children. The study sets out to:

- Compare the extent of the effect of educational play on fine movements in girls and boys.

- Determine the extent of the effect of educational play on eye-hand coordination in the control and experimental groups.

- Determine the extent of the effect of educational play on hand-hand coordination in the control and experimental groups.

- Determine the extent of the effect of educational play on the speed of hand skills in the control and experimental groups.