Play-Based Motor Training in Children Aged 7-10 Years (PBMT-DC)

Participants received an 8-week structured play-based motor-training program consisting of three 60-minute sessions per week (24 sessions; 1,440 planned minutes). Each session included 5 minutes of social/introductory activity, 5 minutes of warm-up, 40 minutes of play-based motor activities, 5 minutes of cool-down, and 5 minutes of feedback.

Participants in the intervention arm received an 8-week structured play-based motor training program delivered three times per week for 60 minutes per session, for a total of 24 sessions. Each session followed a standardized 60-minute format consisting of 5 minutes of social/introductory interaction, 5 minutes of warm-up activities, 40 minutes of structured play-based motor activities, 5 minutes of cool-down, and 5 minutes of feedback. The main activity component included coordinated movements accompanied by children's rhymes, animal-imitation games, and fundamental motor activities such as running, jumping, throwing, rolling, and simple ball-handling tasks. Activities were delivered in a game-based format and emphasized active participation, movement exploration, coordination, and repeated practice of fundamental movement skills. The intervention replaced the participants' usual physical-education sessions during the study period.

Participants continued their usual school physical-education program consisting of two approximately 40-minute sessions per week, including general fitness activities, running, stretching, and simple recreational games, without the structured play-based motor-training protocol.

Participants in the control arm continued their usual school physical-education program throughout the 8-week study period. Usual physical education was delivered twice per week for approximately 40 minutes per session and included general fitness activities, running, stretching, and simple recreational games. The control program did not include the structured play-based motor training protocol, the standardized 5+5+40+5+5 session format, or the systematic motor-practice activities used in the intervention arm. Control sessions were scheduled separately from the intervention sessions, and control participants did not observe the structured intervention activities.

Motor competence was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2), using the age-appropriate Age Band 2 procedures. The MABC-2 total score was used as the primary motor-performance outcome. Higher scores indicate better motor performance. The primary statistical comparison used posttest scores adjusted for the corresponding baseline score using ANCOVA.

Cognitive test performance was assessed using the Kay Cognitive-Diagnostic Test. Five subtests assessed concept formation, symbolic thinking, socialization of thought, visual-motor perception, and short-term attention/psychomotor speed. The total score ranges theoretically from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better performance. A translated Chinese version was used without formal age-specific validation; therefore, this outcome was considered exploratory.

Executive-function difficulties were assessed using the 86-item Chinese parent form of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Items were rated from 1 (never) to 3 (often), and the mean item score was calculated across the 86 items. Higher scores indicate greater parent-rated executive-function difficulties. The same parent or caregiver completed the questionnaire at baseline and posttest. This was an exploratory secondary outcome.