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Influence of a Parent-mediated mHealth Motor Skill Intervention on Preschool Children's Motor Skills and Cognitive Function
Sponsor: University of Tennessee
Summary
The proposed study uses a mHealth application "app" to help parents teach their preschool-age child motor skill (FMS) activities in the home environment. This app guides families to participate in 10-min activity breaks, 7 days/week for 12 weeks and the app includes weekly instructional lessons, peer modeling videos, behavioral scaffolding, and structured activities. This study builds on prior work by assessing whether improvements in FMS generalize to cognitive domains, including executive function skills such as working memory, attention, and inhibitory control. By examining both motor and cognitive outcomes, the project will provide essential evidence on whether enhanced FMS uniquely contributes to cognitive development. Based on findings from the proposed study, there may be a need to develop additional modules that address diverse needs of children or that contribute to broader, multifaceted improvement in both motor competence and cognitive function. Findings will inform the potential of technology-based motor skill interventions to support broader aspects of child development in diverse populations, guiding future practice and policy in education, health, and early intervention.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
3 Years - 5 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
35
Start Date
2026-06-30
Completion Date
2027-06-30
Last Updated
2026-07-02
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
COSMIC
Parents will deliver the FMS intervention at home to their preschool-age child (3-5 yrs). Each day, Parents will access weekly instructional lessons, peer modeling videos and activity breaks to deliver approximately 12 hrs of structured FMS instruction time to their child over a 3-month period. The Mission PLAY app program is comprised of 10-minute segments of varied activities that children perform, called "activity breaks" (10-min activity breaks, 7 days/week for 12 weeks) Each week parent-child dyads will work on one featured FMS (e.g., jumping) and will complete short bouts of activity that include a one-minute warm-up, 8 minutes of FMS practice, and one-minute cool down. During the FMS practice, parents will help their child practice this skill through a series of developmentally appropriate activities that aim to incrementally increase their child's performance through continued practice.