Eksplorasi Pengalaman Bermain Anak Usia Dini melalui Permainan Tradisional pada Anak Usia 3-6 di PTKA UIN Alauddin Makassar

Abstract

Early childhood is a crucial "golden period" for child development, during which play serves as a natural bridge to learning. However, the current dominance of digital technology threatens the quality of children's play by limiting motor stimulation and social interaction. Consequently, reintroducing traditional games which are rich in local wisdom has become urgent as a breakthrough for holistic stimulation. This community service initiative aimed to explore early childhood play experiences in depth through an intervention involving five structured traditional games. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed at the Child Development Center (PTKA) of UIN Alauddin Makassar, involving ten children aged 3–6 years over five sessions. Data were collected through observations of the children's engagement and simple interviews. The results revealed a highly positive response; all the children experienced joy and great enthusiasm, driven by the combination of rhythmic accompanying songs and challenging physical-motor activities. Due to a cultural disconnect in the modern era, most of the children had never played these traditional games before. Following the activities, the children demonstrated a strong intrinsic interest in continuing to play them during their free time. It can thus be concluded that integrating traditional games contributes significantly to optimizing children's psychological, behavioral, and social development, making their implementation in early childhood education institutions a matter of urgency.