Investigation of the Effects of Kinesthetic Brain Exercises in Preschool Children

November 4, 2026 updated by: Betül Taşpınar, Izmir Democracy University

Investigation of the Effects of Kinesthetic Brain Exercises on Physical, Cognitive, and Psychosocial Parameters in Preschool Children

This study will investigate whether kinesthetic brain exercises affect physical, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes in preschool children. Fifty children aged 3-6 years from two preschool classes will participate. One class will be randomly assigned to the exercise group and the other to the control group.

Children in the exercise group will participate in play-based movement activities supervised by a physiotherapist for 8 weeks, twice a week, for 30-40 minutes per session. Activities will include coordinated movements, ball games, and exercises combining movement with attention tasks. Children in the control group will continue their usual preschool education.

Both groups will be assessed before and after the 8-week period. The assessments will examine motor skills, attention, posture, lower-limb functional performance, fatigue, social skills and behavior, sleep habits, problematic media use, and quality of life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This master's thesis study is designed as a two-arm, cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in a preschool education setting. Two existing classes will serve as the clusters. Using a closed-envelope procedure, one class will be allocated to the kinesthetic brain exercise group and the other to the control group. The planned enrollment is 50 children, with 25 children per group. Written informed consent will be obtained from a parent or legal guardian before participation.

The intervention will consist of 16 physiotherapist-supervised sessions delivered over 8 weeks. Each session will last approximately 30-40 minutes and include warm-up, exercise, and cool-down phases. Activities will be delivered in a play-based format appropriate to the children's age and developmental level.

Warm-up activities will include brain buttons, the thinking cap, the elephant, the owl, and cross crawl. The main exercise phase will include throwing balls into the air, jumping to either side of a straight line, stepping while throwing a ball, stepping in response to instructions, bouncing a ball with one hand while drawing circles with the other, and touching the head with one hand while drawing circles with the other. Cool-down activities will include the double doodle, lazy eights, arm activity, foot flex, and calf pumping.

The control group will continue its routine preschool education without receiving the study exercise program during the 8-week comparison period. After the final assessments, children in the control group will be offered the exercise program on an optional basis.

Assessments will be performed at baseline and at the end of the 8-week period by the same researcher. Between-group comparisons of changes over time will be used to examine the effects of the intervention.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Betül TAŞPINAR, Prof. Dr.
  • Phone Number: +90 506 680 44 26
  • Email: ptbetul@gmail.com

Study Contact Backup

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

3 years to 6 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Children aged 3-6 years.

Attending a preschool education institution.

Written informed consent provided by a parent or legal guardian.

Sufficient cognitive and behavioral ability to understand the planned assessments and participate in the study activities.

Able to attend the planned study sessions regularly.

Exclusion Criteria:

A diagnosed neurological condition, such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy.

A diagnosed orthopedic or musculoskeletal disorder.

A diagnosis of developmental delay or severe learning difficulties.

Attention, behavioral, or adjustment problems that prevent participation in the study.

A chronic disease that restricts regular physical activity.

Anticipated absences that would prevent regular participation during the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Kinesthetic Brain Exercise Group

Children will participate in a physiotherapist-supervised kinesthetic brain exercise program for 8 weeks, twice weekly, for 30-40 minutes per session. The program will include warm-up, exercise, and cool-down activities delivered in an age-appropriate, play-based format.
Behavioral: Kinesthetic Brain Exercises

The program consists of three phases. Warm-up activities include brain buttons, the thinking cap, the elephant, the owl, and cross crawl. The exercise phase includes throwing balls into the air, jumping to either side of a straight line, stepping while throwing a ball, stepping in response to instructions, bouncing a ball with one hand while drawing circles with the other, and touching the head with one hand while drawing circles with the other. Cool-down activities include the double doodle, lazy eights, arm activity, foot flex, and calf pumping.
No Intervention: Control Group

Children will continue their routine preschool education without receiving the study exercise program during the 8-week study period. After the final assessments, they will be offered the kinesthetic brain exercise program on an optional basis.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Gross Motor Skills Assessed With the Test of Gross Motor Development-Second Edition (TGMD-2)
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Gross motor skills will be assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-Second Edition (TGMD-2). The test includes two subtests: locomotor skills and object control skills, each comprising six skills. The total raw score ranges from 0 to 96, with higher scores indicating better gross motor skill performance. The change in total raw score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Posture Assessed With the New York Posture Rating Chart
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Posture will be assessed using the New York Posture Rating Chart, which evaluates 13 body regions. Each region is scored as 5 for normal alignment, 3 for moderately impaired alignment, or 1 for severely impaired alignment. Total scores range from 13 to 65, with higher scores indicating better postural alignment. The change in total score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.
Change in Lower-Limb Functional Performance Assessed With the Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Lower-limb functional performance will be assessed using the Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test. The child will be asked to stand up from and sit down on a standard chair five consecutive times as quickly as possible, with arms crossed over the chest. Completion time will be recorded in seconds using a stopwatch. Three trials will be performed, and the mean completion time will be calculated. Shorter completion times indicate better functional performance. The change in mean completion time from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.
Change in Fatigue Assessed With a Faces Rating Scale
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks

Fatigue will be assessed using a visual faces rating scale adapted for children. The scale contains six facial expressions scored as 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Children will select the face that best represents their fatigue level, with 0 indicating no fatigue and 10 indicating very severe fatigue. Higher scores indicate greater fatigue. The change in score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks
Change in Attention Assessed With the Frankfurter Attention Test
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Attention will be assessed using the Frankfurter Attention Test. Children will be asked to identify and mark pear symbols among apple symbols within 90 seconds. The raw score is the number of correctly marked pears, ranging from 0 to 42. Higher scores indicate better attention performance. The change in raw score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.
Change in Social Skills Assessed With the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Social skills will be assessed using the 23-item Social Skills Scale of the Turkish version of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS). The scale evaluates social cooperation, social independence and acceptance, and social interaction. Items are rated according to the frequency of the observed behavior. Higher total scores indicate better social skills. The change in total score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.
Change in Problem Behaviors Assessed With the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Problem behaviors will be assessed using the 27-item Problem Behavior Scale of the Turkish version of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS). Items are rated according to the frequency of the observed behavior. Higher total scores indicate more frequent problem behaviors. The change in total score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.
Change in Sleep Habits Assessed With the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Sleep habits will be assessed using the parent-reported Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). The questionnaire includes 33 scored items covering bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep duration, sleep anxiety, night wakings, parasomnias, sleep-disordered breathing, and daytime sleepiness. Items are scored from 1 to 3, with reverse scoring where applicable. Total scores range from 33 to 99, with higher scores indicating greater sleep-related difficulties. The change in total score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.
Change in Problematic Media Use Assessed With the Problematic Media Use Measure
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Problematic media use will be assessed using the 27-item parent-reported long form of the Problematic Media Use Measure (PMUM). Parents will rate their child's behavior during the previous month on a five-point scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always). The overall score is calculated as the mean of the 27 item scores and ranges from 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate greater problematic media use. The change in mean score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.
Change in Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed With the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the parent-proxy report of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scales. The questionnaire assesses physical, emotional, social, and school functioning during the previous month. Responses are reverse-scored and transformed to a scale from 0 to 100. The total score is calculated as the mean of the scored items, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life. The change in total score from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period will be evaluated.
Baseline and at the end of 8 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Izmir Democracy University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Betül TAŞPINAR, Prof. Dr., Izmir Democracy University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • KBE-PRESCHOOL CHILDREN-35

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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