An interventional study of Five Stones Pebble Game and Unstructured Play Group in Child Development, sponsored by Riphah International University. Completed at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 12 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-13.
Sponsored by Riphah International University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
This randomized controlled trial will be conducted on 26 school-going children (aged 8-12 years) from The City School and Classic School System, randomly assigned to a traditional play group or an unstructured gameplay group (n=13 each). The Five Stones Pebble Game intervention will be administered for 5 weeks, with 30-minute sessions, four times per week. In-hand manipulation will be assessed using Timed-TIHM, Box and Blocks Test, and Nine Hole Peg Test, while handwriting will be evaluated using ETCH. Ethical approval will be obtained from Riphah International University, and data will be analyzed using SPSS version 23.0.
A child's ability to use fine motor skills is essential for both academic and everyday functioning, especially when it comes to writing, clothing, and object manipulation. Effective handwriting and hand function are directly impacted by in-hand manipulation (IHM), an aspect of fine motor abilities that includes precise control over tiny items in the hand. Writing by hand is an intricate technique that calls for dexterity, hand strength, and fine motor coordination. The ability of traditional games to improve fine motor skills in an entertaining and captivating way has drawn attention recently. One of them is the Five Stones Pebble game, which is a traditional game in many Asian nations that requires players to hold, throw, and manipulate tiny stones with just one hand. Although it's a widespread recreational game, little is known about its academic or developmental benefits, particularly when it comes to helping school-aged kids with their hand function. The purpose of this study is to close that gap by investigating how playing the Five Stones Pebble Game affected the handwriting and in-hand manipulation abilities of school-age children who were normally developing. The goal is to determine whether a traditional game that is inexpensive, non-intrusive, and readily available may be a useful intervention to support children's academic performance and fine motor development.
The study design will be Randomized Controlled Trial. The data will be collected from The city school and Classic School System. The study will be compiled in 10 months after the approval of synopsis. 26 school-going children age ranged from 8 to 12 years will randomly be assigned either in to traditional play group (n=13) or unstructured game play (n=13). the intervention five Stone Pebble Game will continue for five weeks, with 30 minutes session, four times a week. All the referred participants will be assessed for the eligibility criteria. Guardians of participants fulfilling the eligibility criteria will be asked to sign the consent forms before entering them to the study. In-Hand manipulation will be asses by Times Test of In-Hand Manipulation (Timed-TIHM) test, Box and Blocks Test and Nine Hole Peg Test. Handwriting will be assessed by Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH) tool. The synopsis will be presented to the Research Ethical Committee of Riphah International University, Lahore, for ethical approval to conduct this study. Data will be analyzed through SPSS version 23.0
Riphah International University is the lead sponsor of 2,176 studies on the registry; 637 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
\*\*Group A (Traditional Group):\*\* The traditional group will be taught the Five Stones Pebble Game consisting of five levels. In Level 1, five stones are scattered and the child throws one stone in the air, picks one from the surface, and catches the airborne stone, repeating until all are collected. In Level 2, the child picks two stones at a time, and in Level 3, three stones at a time using the same method. In Level 4, one stone is tossed while the remaining four are scattered, then picked together before catching the airborne stone. In Level 5, the child tosses all five stones and catches them on the back of the hand, then tosses again and catches them in the palm.
Other: Five Stones Pebble Game
The child will go through unstructured play in the indoor environment. During this time, he is free to explore and initiate activities. The child may involve in activities such as block play, dough play and arts and crafts.
Other: Unstructured Play Group
\*\*Group A (Traditional Group):\*\* The traditional group will be taught the Five Stones Pebble Game consisting of five levels. In Level 1, five stones are scattered and the child throws one stone in the air, picks one from the surface, and catches the airborne stone, repeating until all are collected. In Level 2, the child picks two stones at a time, and in Level 3, three stones at a time using the same method. In Level 4, one stone is tossed while the remaining four are scattered, then picked together before catching the airborne stone. In Level 5, the child tosses all five stones and catches them on the back of the hand, then tosses again and catches them in the palm.
The child will go through unstructured play in the indoor environment. During this time, he is free to explore and initiate activities. The child may involve in activities such as block play, dough play and arts and crafts.
The Box and Block Test (BBT).
The Box and Block Test measures unilateral gross manual dexterity by recording the number of blocks transferred from one compartment to another within 60 seconds
Time frame: Baseline, 5 weeks
Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT)
The Nine-Hole Peg Test measures fine motor speed and finger dexterity by recording the time required to place and remove nine pegs.
Time frame: Baseline, 5 weeks
Plan to share: No
Ran from Oct 2025 to primary completion in Jun 2026, 7 months.
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From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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