Evaluating Effectiveness of Brain Gym on Children’s Fine and Gross Motor Skills: A Randomized Controlled Trial

¹ Doctoral Program of Public Health, Public Health Faculty, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indonesia.
² Department of Public Health Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indonesia
³ Department of Biostatistics and Population, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indonesia
⁴ Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indonesia
⁵ Department Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Science, Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia

^* Corresponding cahyos@aiska-university.ac.id

Abstract

Motor development is a crucial aspect of early childhood growth, influencing daily activities and long-term physical capabilities. Brain Gym, a series of simple movement-based exercises, has been proposed to enhance motor skills, yet its effectiveness remains underexplored through rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Brain Gym on fine and gross motor development in children. A total of 80 healthy preschool children aged 4–6 years were recruited from local preschools in Sragen Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, using purposive sampling. Participants were randomly assigned to either a Brain Gym group (n = 40) or a control group receiving standard physical exercises (n = 40). The intervention was conducted over eight weeks (January–March 2024) with two 30-minute sessions per week. Motor proficiency was assessed at baseline and post-intervention using standardized tools (BOT-2 and PDMS-2). Independent variables were Brain Gym and standard physical exercises, while dependent variables were fine and gross motor skills. Data normality was tested with the Shapiro–Wilk test, followed by paired and independent t-tests, two-way mixed ANOVA, and effect size analysis (Cohen’s d). Results showed that the Brain Gym group significantly outperformed the control group in gross motor skills (mean change = 8.9, p < 0.001, d = 0.92) and fine motor skills (mean change = 7.2, p < 0.001, d = 0.85). A significant group × time interaction was observed (F(1,78) = 12.47, p = 0.001). No adverse events were reported. This RCT provides robust evidence supporting Brain Gym as an effective and feasible early childhood intervention to enhance motor development.