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

NCT ID: NCT07331675

Last Updated: 2026-01-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

46 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-12-22

Study Completion Date

2026-08-20

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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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.

Conditions

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Hand Grasp

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Marble play group

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.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Marble play game

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants have to be sure to play in playground, as we will used natural ground floor. A small circle will be dig. A straight line will be marked 40 cm away from the edge of the circle. At the beginning of game, the researcher will place 10 target marbles in the circle. The participant will be given a marble.

Free play

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

Group Type OTHER

Free Play

Intervention Type OTHER

The control group (n=38) will continues regular playing activities except Marble play.

Interventions

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Marble play game

Participants have to be sure to play in playground, as we will used natural ground floor. A small circle will be dig. A straight line will be marked 40 cm away from the edge of the circle. At the beginning of game, the researcher will place 10 target marbles in the circle. The participant will be given a marble.

Intervention Type OTHER

Free Play

The control group (n=38) will continues regular playing activities except Marble play.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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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.
Minimum Eligible Age

6 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

9 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Riphah International University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Aamna Hassan, MS

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Riphah International University, Lahore

Locations

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Aamna Hassan

Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan

Site Status

Countries

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Pakistan

Central Contacts

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Imran Amjad, Phd

Role: CONTACT

03324390125

References

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Hendrickx S. The adolescent and adult neuro-diversity handbook: Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and related conditions: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2010.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Davis RD, Braun EM. The Gift of Learning: Proven New Methods for Correcting ADD, Math & Handwriting Problems: Penguin; 2003.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Engel-Yeger B, Nagauker-Yanuv L, Rosenblum S. Handwriting performance, self-reports, and perceived self-efficacy among children with dysgraphia. Am J Occup Ther. 2009 Mar-Apr;63(2):182-92. doi: 10.5014/ajot.63.2.182.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19432056 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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maqsood Bibi

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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