Playful Physical Activity Program and Executive Function in Preschool Children

March 20, 2026 updated by: Monira Aldhahi

Effects of a Cognitively Enriched Playful Physical Activity Program on Executive Functions and School Readiness in Preschool Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial evaluates the effects of an 8-week cognitively enriched playful physical activity program on executive functions and school readiness in preschool children. Participants are assigned to either an experimental group receiving structured cognitively engaging movement activities or a control group receiving standard physical education.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of a structured Playful Physical Activities (PPA) program on executive functions and school readiness in preschool children aged 5 years. Participants are randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving cognitively enriched physical activity sessions or a control group receiving standard physical education with equivalent frequency and duration. The intervention is conducted over 8 weeks (3 sessions/week, 60 minutes/session). Outcomes include inhibitory control, visuospatial memory, planning, and school readiness domains (mathematical, linguistic, and social competence), assessed at baseline and post-intervention.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

48

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Tunisia
      • Manouba, Tunisia
        • University of Manouba

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Enrolled in preschool
  • No physical/intellectual disability
  • Parental consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Neurological or developmental disorders

  • Sensory impairments

    • medications affecting Neurological system

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Playful Physical Activities (PPA) Program
A structured program integrating cognitive challenges (inhibition, working memory, planning) into movement-based activities delivered 3 times per week for 8 weeks (60 minutes/session).
Behavioral: Playful Physical Activities
Receives cognitively enriched movement-based intervention
Other: Standard Physical Education
Regular preschool physical education consisting of free play and age-appropriate activities without structured cognitive engagement, matched for frequency and duration.
Behavioral: Standard Physical Education Group
Receives usual physical education curriculum

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Executive function performance
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-intervention) and Week 8 (post-intervention)
Executive function performance will be assessed using standardized neuropsychological measures, including inhibitory control (Go/No-Go task; error rate), Performance is quantified as the number of commission errors (responses to No-Go stimuli). Lower error rates indicate better inhibitory control.
Baseline (pre-intervention) and Week 8 (post-intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visuospatial memory (BVMT-R immediate recall)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Visuospatial memory will be assessed using the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) immediate recall condition. Performance is based on accuracy and spatial placement of reproduced figures.
Baseline and Week 8
Visuospatial memory (BVMT-R delayed recall)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Delayed visuospatial memory will be assessed using the BVMT-R delayed recall condition, measuring retention and reproduction of previously presented figures after a delay period.
Baseline and Week 8
Planning and visuospatial organization (RCFT copy score)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Planning ability and visuospatial organization will be assessed using the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT). Performance is quantified using standardized scoring based on accuracy and organization.
Baseline and Week 8
Linguistic competence
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Linguistic competence will be assessed through tasks evaluating vocabulary, categorization, and verbal instruction-following abilities. Higher scores indicate better language skills.
Baseline and Week 8
Social competence (QECS)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Social competence will be assessed using the Social and Emotional Competencies Evaluation Questionnaire (QACSE; Questionnaire d'Évaluation des Compétences Sociales et Émotionnelles), a 39-item instrument comprising five domains: self-control, social awareness, relationship skills, social isolation, and social anxiety.Each item is rated on a Likert scale, and total scores are calculated by summing item responses. Scores range from [39 to 156] (depending on the response scale used). Higher scores indicate better social and emotional competencies, except for negatively oriented subscales (e.g., social anxiety and social isolation), which are reverse-coded prior to total score calculation.
Baseline and Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Monira Aldhahi

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 (Actual)

January 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 10, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

February 25, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 20, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PNU-13

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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