Playful Physical Activity for Executive Functions and School Readiness in Preschool Children

Effects of a Cognitively Enriched Playful Physical Activity Program on Executive Functions and School Readiness in Preschool Children

Executive functions, such as attention, inhibition, working memory, and planning, are important for early learning and school readiness in preschool children. This completed randomized controlled trial evaluated whether an 8-week cognitively enriched playful physical activity program could support executive functions and school readiness in preschool children compared with the regular physical education curriculum.

Preschool children were assigned to either a playful physical activity intervention group or a control group receiving conventional physical education. The intervention included structured movement-based games designed to combine physical activity with cognitive challenges, including response inhibition, working memory, planning, rule following, and cooperative problem solving. Outcomes included measures of executive functions and school readiness domains, including mathematical, linguistic, and social competence.

This study was designed as a completed, two-arm randomized controlled trial conducted in preschool children. The purpose of the study was to examine whether a cognitively enriched playful physical activity program could improve executive functions and school readiness compared with the regular physical education curriculum.

The experimental intervention consisted of an 8-week Playful Physical Activities program. The program included structured movement games designed to engage both motor and cognitive processes. Activities targeted gross and fine motor skills while incorporating executive-function demands such as selective attention, inhibitory control, working memory, planning, rule maintenance, and cooperative problem solving. Sessions included playful tasks related to language, mathematics, and social interaction, with the aim of supporting both cognitive development and school readiness in an age-appropriate educational setting.

Children in the control group continued to receive the conventional physical education curriculum over the same intervention period. The control condition involved regular age-appropriate physical education activities without the systematic integration of structured executive-function challenges or cognitive-motor dual-task components.

Participants were preschool children aged approximately 55 to 64 months. Eligible children were enrolled in participating preschool settings and were able to take part in physical activity sessions. Children with motor or mental disorders that could interfere with participation or outcome assessment were excluded.

The primary focus of the study was school readiness, including mathematical, linguistic, and social competence. Secondary outcomes included executive-function measures related to attention, inhibition, visuospatial memory, and planning/visuospatial organization. Assessments were conducted before and after the intervention period.

The study was conducted in accordance with ethical approval from the Local Research Ethics Committee at the High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Ksar Said. The study has been completed.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Preschool children aged 55 to 64 months.
• Enrollment in one of the participating preschools.
• Ability to participate in age-appropriate physical activity sessions.
• Written informed consent provided by parents or legal guardians.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Motor or intellectual disabilities that could prevent participation in physical activity sessions.
• Diagnosed neurological, psychiatric, or developmental disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder.
• Uncorrected visual or auditory impairments that could affect test performance.
• Use of medication known to affect the central nervous system.
• Absence from post-intervention testing or failure to complete the study procedures.