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CompletedNCT07929012PLAY-MOTOR-BOYUpdated Nov 10, 2026

Play-Based Motor Programme and Child Development Outcomes in Pre-Adolescent Boys

An interventional study of Structured Play-Based Motor Programme and Standard Physical Education Curriculum in Child Development, Motor Skills and Motor Skills Development, sponsored by Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj. Completed at 1 site in China. Open to male participants aged 10 Years to 12 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-10.

Sponsored by Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 9 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jan 2026, registered Nov 2026).
Updated Nov 10, 2026Newly registeredGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
160
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
10 Years to 12 Years
Sex
Male
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an 8-week play-based motor programme helps improve motor skills, thinking skills, and executive functioning in pre-adolescent boys (ages 10 to 12). The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does the programme improve motor skills (such as balance, catching, and hand dexterity)?
  • Does the programme improve thinking skills and executive functioning (such as memory and self-control)?

Researchers will compare boys who take part in the programme to boys who do standard physical education to see if the programme works.

Participants will:

  • Take part in a play-based motor programme 3 times a week for 8 weeks. Each session lasts 60 minutes.
  • Be assigned to one of the two groups by chance (like flipping a coin).
  • Complete motor and thinking tests at the start and end of the study. Parents will also fill out a questionnaire about their child's behavior.
Read the detailed description

This is a parallel-group, randomized controlled trial (RCT) following CONSORT 2010 reporting guidelines. The study evaluates whether an 8-week play-based motor programme can improve motor proficiency, cognitive processing, and executive functioning (EF) in pre-adolescent boys.

Participants and Randomization: A total of 80 boys aged 10-12 years (Grades 4-6) from two single-sex primary schools will be recruited. Students will be block-randomized (block size 4) to the intervention group or the control group in a 1:1 ratio. Allocation will be generated using a computer-based sequence. The primary outcome is motor proficiency, with cognitive processing and EF as secondary outcomes.

Intervention: The intervention group will receive an 8-week play-based motor programme delivered by trained physical education teachers three times per week (60 min per session; 24 sessions in total). Each session includes a 10-min warm-up (dynamic stretching and locomotor games), a 40-min main activity phase (animal-imitation locomotion, ball-skill circuits, and cooperative balance challenges), and a 10-min cool-down. The control group will continue their regular physical education curriculum with no additional motor programming.

Outcome Measures: Motor proficiency will be assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). Cognitive processing will be measured using the Kay Cognitive-Diagnostic Test. Executive functioning will be indexed using the parent-report Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). All instruments will be administered at pre-test (Week 0) and post-test (Week 9).

Statistical Analysis Plan: All analyses will be conducted in IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) will be used, with pre-test scores as covariates, to examine the simultaneous multivariate group effect. Follow-up separate one-way ANCOVAs, each controlling for the respective pre-test score, will be conducted for all outcome variables. Effect sizes will be reported as partial eta-squared (ηp²).

02

Conditions studied

  • Child Development
  • Motor Skills
  • Motor Skills Development
  • Cognitive Processing

Keywords

  • Play-Based Intervention
  • Motor Proficiency
  • Cognitive Processing
  • Executive Function
  • Physical Education
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj is the lead sponsor of 29 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
10 Years to 12 Years
Sexes eligible
Male
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

- 1. Male sex. 2. Age 10-12 years. 3. Enrolled in a single-sex primary school. 4. Absence of neurological, orthopedic, or developmental disorder precluding participation.

5. Parental written consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • 1. Chronic illness requiring regular medication. 2. Prior involvement in a motor training programme within six months. 3. Incomplete baseline assessments.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
160 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Play-Based Motor Programme

    Participants receive an 8-week play-based motor programme (3 times per week, 60 min/session). Sessions include a 10-min warm-up, a 40-min main activity phase with motor-enriched games (animal-imitation locomotion, ball-skill circuits, cooperative balance challenges), and a 10-min cool-down. Progressive overload is achieved by increasing task complexity and reducing external support.

    Behavioral: Structured Play-Based Motor Programme

  • Active comparator
    Standard Physical Education

    Participants continue their regular physical education curriculum with no additional motor programming.

    Behavioral: Standard Physical Education Curriculum

Interventions

  • BehavioralStructured Play-Based Motor Programme

    An 8-week play-based motor programme delivered three times per week (24 sessions in total, 60 min per session). Focuses on motor-enriched games including animal-imitation locomotion, ball-skill circuits, and cooperative balance challenges.

  • BehavioralStandard Physical Education Curriculum

    The standard physical education curriculum delivered in schools, without additional motor programming.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Motor Proficiency Score

    Motor proficiency is assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) Age Band 2. It yields three component scores (Manual Dexterity, Aiming \& Catching, Balance) and a Total Standard Score. Higher scores indicate better motor proficiency.

    Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 9)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Cognitive Processing and Executive Function Scores

    Cognitive processing is measured with the Kay Cognitive-Diagnostic Test (Concept Formation, Symbolic Thinking, Socialization of Thought, Attention/Psychomotor Speed). Executive functioning is indexed by the parent-report Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), yielding eight subscales and three composite indices (BRI, MI, GEC). For the BRIEF, lower scores indicate better EF.

    Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) and Post-Intervention (Week 9)

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Physical Education Department, Weifang University
    Weifang, Shandong, China
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — Anonymized participant data supporting the conclusions of this article will be deposited in an open repository (OSF/Zenodo) upon acceptance. Pre-acceptance data-sharing requests may be directed to the corresponding author.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Jan 2026 to primary completion in Mar 2026, 2 months.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Nov 5, 2026
First posted
Nov 10, 2026
StartActual
Jan 10, 2026
Primary completionActual
Mar 15, 2026
CompletionActual
Mar 30, 2026
Last update
Nov 10, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Registered
First appeared on the registry. No changes since
Nov 10, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Nov 10, 2026
    First appeared on the registry

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 ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07929012
Lead sponsor
Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj
Responsible party
Zinat Ebrahimi (Assistant Professor, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 10, 2026
Start date
Jan 10, 2026
Primary completion
Mar 15, 2026
Completion
Mar 30, 2026
Last update
Nov 10, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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