INTEGRATION OF TRADITIONAL GAMES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING AT PAUD INSTITUTIONS

Abstrak

Traditional games, as cultural heritage, contain noble values and have great potential to support the early childhood learning process. Early childhood education prioritizes learning through-play methods as this approach aligns with children's natural tendency to play. Through play, children acquire and process new information while honing their existing skills. This study discusses the importance of integrating traditional games for early childhood in PAUD institutions. Traditional games serve not only as entertainment but also as an effective learning method to holistically develop various aspects of child development. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this study examines the implementation of traditional games in PAUD institutions and their benefits for early childhood development. The findings reveal that games such as Congklak, Engklek, and Lompat Tali are effective in stimulating integrated development across cognitive, motoric, social-emotional, and language domains. Furthermore, the study observed that these games foster cooperation, turn-taking, emotional regulation, and the cultivation of moral values like honesty and respect, while also strengthening children's cultural identity. In conclusion, this study affirms that traditional games are potent, culturally-grounded pedagogical tools. Therefore, it is recommended that PAUD institutions apply this in their teaching and learning process.