Effect of Marble Play on Handgrip Strength and Handwriting Among School Going Children.

Riphah International University

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Hand Grasp

Treatments: Other: Free Play; Other: Marble play game

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07331675

maqsood Bibi

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to address the effects of a Marble Play on the handgrip strength and handwriting skills of primary school children, providing empirical evidence for a cost-effective and culturally relevant therapeutic tool. This study will be a randomized controlled trial. A total of 46 children from Grades 1-3 will be recruited via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=23) or a control group (n=23).The experimental group will participate in one-on-one sessions of Marble Play game with

.The control group will continue with their regular free play activities. The primary assessment tools will be the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH) to measure writing legibility and speed, and a hand-held dynamometer to measure hand grip strength.

Full description

In 2022, Audrey Saile and Mohd Hanafi Mohd Yasin hey conducted a study in Malaysia, to investigate the efficacy of fine motor training for improving handwriting legibility among students with special educational needs. Their study used a quasi-experimental pre-test/post test design but was limited by a very small, purposefully selected sample of only four students.

Despite this limitation, the results indicated a positive outcome: the treatment group showed an average 15-point increase on a modified Handwriting Legibility Scale, improving their performance from "very poor" to "moderate." The authors concluded that fine motor training is a valuable intervention for enhancing the handwriting skills of SEN students.

Current literature reveals a significant gap in research examining marble play as a targeted fine motor intervention. While existing studies have explored the effectiveness of various manipulative activities such as clay modeling, bead threading, and drawing exercises for fine motor development, there is a notable absence of research that specifically isolates and examines the unique benefits of marble play. This represents a critical oversight, given the accessibility and affordability of marbles as intervention tool. The findings of this study will provide much-needed, evidence-based guidance for educators and therapists, particularly those working in resource-limited environments.

Enrollment: 46 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 9 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Children enrolled in Grade 1-3 (typically aged 6-9 years)
• Children with normal cognitive development, as assessed by school records or teacher reports
• Students with average or below average handwriting fluency (based on teacher observation or pre-test).
• Parental or guardian consent obtained for participation.
• Regular school attendance and ability to participate in intervention sessions.

Exclusion criteria

• Children with significant visual or motor impairments that may affect fine motor coordination.
• Participants with a known history of dust allergy or diagnosed allergic rhinitis triggered by dust exposure will be excluded.
• Individuals with a current or recent (within the last 6 months) fracture of any upper, wrist, or hand) will be excluded.
• Students with a history of behavioral issues that would prevent consistent participation in structured play.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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46 participants in 2 patient groups

Marble play group

Experimental group

Description:

The experimental group will participate in one-on-one sessions of Marble Play game with progressive difficulty levels, designed to enhance fine motor control, handgrip and handwriting skills.

Treatment:

Other: Marble play game

Free play

Other group

Description:

The control group will continue with their regular free play activities.

Treatment:

Other: Free Play