Developing the Potential of Early Childhood through the Play Dough

Erna Budiarti

Nurul Aulia Educator at Kindergarten, Cimanggis, Depok

bbbudiarti@gmail.com

Keywords: Play Dough, Creativity, Work Together in Problem Solving.

Abstract: Creativity of early childhood has a very important role in children lives in the future. Through creativity,

children can create in accordance with talent or abilities, child can solve a problem and can improve the

quality of her life in the future. Therefore, the required stimulation that can develop the creativity of

children, one of them by the using of play dough. In fact, early childhood creativity has not been well

developed, early childhood has not been smooth in expressing an idea or ideas. The aim in this study is to

describe the level of early childhood creativity by applying media, the difference in the level of creativity

play dough in early childhood before and after using media of play dough. This research took place in 2016.

As for the method of the qualitative approach is used with a method where the subject of the research is

early childhood Group B with a total of 12 children in kindergarten Nurul Aulia. The results showed that the

level of treatment given before the child’s creativity is at a low category. Whereas after using play dough,

media creativity level has increased. The conclusion can be drawn that a playdough media gives significant

effects. It can be recommended for teachers in using the playdough can be used as alternative media to

develop creativity in children effectively. For school, the aim is to facilitate by providing other learning

media can improve early childhood creativity.

1 INTRODUCTION

Basically, the children have had the creative

potential from birth into this world. If this is not

nurtured creative talents will not develop into a

hidden talent that cannot be realized. Bandura

believes that a key factor in developing your own

potential is the development of mastery through

experience, for example in observing others who

work, have a positive and affirming comments from

others, and understand the strong emotions and

feelings. The success of the self as an integral part of

the learning experiences of children, therefore, have

very broad implications for practitioners working

with children early age. The importance of play for

children pushing a prominent social psychologist

Kenneth (2007) to participate theorizing play is

necessary in the development of children as

contributing to the level of cognitive, physical,

social and emotional control was good. Pramling

and Maj (2008) defines that the play is a natural

thing in the lives of children. When the children

were asked about what is the best thing they can do,

their answer is the great answer that play

comfortably and conveniently. Active play statement

said Derek et al. (2014) has a direct positive impact

on academic achievement with the self-improvement

of child behaviour and be an advantage in doing

activities. Playing media using a material in general

should facilitate a wide range of creative expression,

facilitating a wide range of emotional expression,

involved in the interests of the children, facilitates

expressive and exploration play, allowing

exploration and expression without verbalization.

Paula (2003) relate to statements that put this in the

principles of Maria Montessori stated that children

aged 3-6 years is a sensitive period or sensitive

period in children, which is a period in which a

particular function needs to be stimulated, directed

so that development is not too late. Therefore, the

development of creativity should be given early,

with children's creativity can create according to his

talent,

Schaefer (1993) explain important aspects of a

child's play must be in accordance with the

development of growth, level of mastery, lower

levels of anxiety, able to communicate the outside

and the inside, symbolic play, and problem-solving

skills. Developing the mindset and behaviour of

children by Adibah (2014) must be humility,

Budiarti, E.

Developing the Potential of Early Childhood through the Play Dough.

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 2, pages 235-239

ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8

235

patience and passion. Other important destinations

from the viewpoint of Imam Al-Ghazali is focused

in the development of Islamic environment.

Environment plays an important role in growth.

Environmental factors in the context of Islam that is

the role of parents, teachers and neighbourhoods that

have important effects on the growth of children's

creativity.

Environment has a great influence on the

development of children's creativity. In line with the

above John Locke argued that in studying any case,

kids should be doing a lot of recreational activities

into their play, because play is for their learning.

Dewey also stressed the importance of play in the

philosophy of education, though he focused on how

to play in the context of a social group rather than

the individual level. Children's play activity is an

activity that is very attractive for them. theoretical

Piaget cognitive development declare that in the pre-

operational stage which lasts from about the age of

2-7 years, children cannot pass up operation is

reversible mental acts, but they began to represent in

words, images and pictures to form a stable concept.

In fact, learning in kindergarten still tended to be

"teacher centered". Teachers tend to play a dominant

role in learning. Ki Hajar Dewantara argue if the

child already has a good nature, then it becomes

better through educational institutions. Ki Hajar

Dewantara philosophy adopted is grindstones,

compassion and parenting (compassion). Character

education assert that discipline, if you want to

succeed, it must transform children from inside.

Discipline should change their attitude, the way they

think and feel, Learning media have an important

role in the development of children's creativity,

learning at an early age child are made fun, exciting,

and make creative children through play. Hurlock

(1987) reveals that creativity can give children the

pleasure and personal satisfaction is very large; the

awards have a real influence on the development of

his personality. Children are provided with materials

for drawing, painting, molding with play dough, and

build with blocks. Some children choose to represent

their special place in various forms, "art is a system

of symbols which can be used to produce meaning".

The fact is that in Nurul Aulia kindergarten the

motor skills of children are still low proven by the

coordination of the hands of the children have not

been directed and honed properly, the agility and

flexibility of the child has not been seen clearly, not

smoothly write his own name, how to hold the

pencil is still there that is not true, coloring and

cutting it's not tidy yet. As well as a class room with

chairs arranged neatly make the child cannot play

freely. In accordance with the opinion of

Venetsanou and Kambas (2011) which states motor

growth is the basis of expertise in which the child

begins to grow toward certain body, talent ability

and body characteristics begin to form the level of

conceptual character in children begin to be

constructed in motor action is actively free

according to the child's thinking.

By playing the child can train the flexibility of

the wrists of the hands and hand-eye coordination so

that it can hone the fine motor skills of the child to

prepare writing the symbols to enter the next level.

The brain stimulus is part of the Brain Gym (2014)

which is a design intervention by educators and

reading specialists, Paul and Gail Dennison, in the

1970s to improve results including attention,

memory and academic ability. This intervention

requires participants to engage in various

movements to help the body remember the

movement from the first stage of life as they are

learning to coordinate the hands, eyes, ears, and the

whole body. The process of learning with fun

activities for children is through play and is expected

to stimulate creativity and foster children in

accordance with their potential. Santrock (2007)

says that playing is a fun activity that is done for fun

doing activities to please, using certain tools or not.

Constructive play is an activity where children try to

build something, like a castle made of beams or

picture house made with paper and color pencils

(Forman & Hill, 1980; Forman, 1998; Scarlet, et al,

2005). As well as by Nichols (2010) argued that

playdough is a soft object, can make children paused

long enough to do it, the colors are varied (like the

colors of the rainbow) but the material is easily

fragile and the dirt can stick to the rubber. All this is

in line parallel with what was said Elena (2008)

states that the play is not only a reflection of the

level of children's development: The important thing

is the mechanism that drives the development of the

child's progress in playing. The idea of the

development zone is the distance between the

apparent level of development determined by

problem solving by counselling or working with

more capable peers and is based on Piaget's theory

discussing intellectual cognitive. Intellectual

development is closely connected with the study. Gil

(2003) pointed out that teachers and parents should

observe the various domains including physical

functioning, social interaction, play and thematic

material externalisation problems that occur in early

childhood.

From the description above it can be concluded

that early childhood creativity through play is a vital

ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences

236

factor to enhance the potential of early childhood

creativity is supported by the environmental factor is

the role of parents, teachers and neighbourhoods that

have important effects on physical functioning,

social interaction, creative, innovative, problem

skills in early childhood through play.

2 FORMULATIONS OF THE

PROBLEM

Based on the above background, the problem in this

research is: "How to develop the potential of early

childhood through the medium of playdough?"

2.1 Research Purposes

The purpose of this research is to know that by

playing playdough may increase the potential for

early childhood.

2.2 Benefits of Research

The benefits that can be obtained in this study are:

2.2.1 Theoretical Benefits

For the science of early childhood education can

provide useful scientific contribution to developing

the potential of early childhood through play that use

playdough as media.

2.2.2 Practical Benefits

For the author, through this paper can add author's

knowledge regarding early childhood creativity in

play playdough and can be studied more deeply.

For early childhood, through this study, young

children can learn to pour directly imagination in

accordance with the desire without fear of being

wrong and be motivated to learn so they can

improve their academic achievement optimally.

For parents, the writing is expected to be used as

a means to increase knowledge about one of the

ways to sharpen a child's creativity and develop the

potential of young children is to play playdough.

3 METHODS

In this study, researchers will examine early

childhood play groups at the 12 subjects in group B

children in kindergarten Nurul Aulia, Depok by

involving all concerned to know the full picture and

the details about the implementation of educational

activities play playdough.

Research was conducted on a group of students

in early childhood play in group B TK Nurul Aulia,

Depok, West Java, amounting to 12 children.

The tools used for data collection, namely: (1)

pieces of observation / observation, (2) copies of

field notes, and (3) Documentation photos. Data

collection techniques used in this study were: (1)

observation, which is a method to observe directly to

a thorough and systematic research, observation was

made during learning activities take place.

Observation is the systematic observation and

recording of the symptoms that appear on the object

of research. (2) Documentation, documentation is a

real picture or virtualized evidence at the time of

learning activities take place. (3) Notes field. The

instrument of this study will be used to perform

measurements with the aim of producing accurate

data, each instrument must have a scale. The

observation of this study is in table 1:

Table 1: Observation of study.

No.

Indicator

Item Observations

Make different shapes

using playdough

through hand eye

coordination.

1. Hold the playdough

with your thumb and

index finger

2. Make a 3-dimensional

shape with using

playdough

Printing with the

media

Playdough

3. Pressing-juggling

playdough on the print

tool with the fingers.

4. Cut playdough with

using a plastic knife.

5. Print playdough with

using the print tool

Using playdough

into works of art

6. Using playdough into

works of art

Express yourself

through the Playdough

game becomes Art

7. Expressing yourself

through the playdough

games into art

Group playdough

which has been formed

accordingly

with the same color

8. Group the already

created playdough

according to the same

color

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Researchers first perform the initial observation,

namely to determine the fine motor skills of children

Developing the Potential of Early Childhood through the Play Dough

237

in making shapes out of playdough, and therefore do

activities with the aim of obtaining data on the fine

motor skills of children in making a variety of forms

in the initial conditions March 22, 2017. After a

study it turns out the fine motor skills of children in

creating new forms of 7 children have good fine

motor skills, the rest still need the development of

children's potential. From the results of these

observations have been found to cause problems

assumptions, and therefore researchers and

collaborators to discuss and identify the problems

encountered and causes. Assumptions cause of the

problem can be seen in the following table 2:

Table 2: Assumptions cause problems.

No.

Factor

Problem

Teacher

1. Lack of preparation in

planning of learning

2. Less in using props

3. Less in providing

opportunities for children to

communicate actively

Student

1. Not conditioned to

communicate actively

2. Feeling bored with the

material presented by teachers

3. Less interested in the

methods used by teachers

4.Lack of problem level skills

in children when faced with

problems

The process

of learning

activities

1.Less varied and attractive

2. Centered on the teacher so

that children are passive and

less creative

3. lack of media props

Others

1. Lack of supporting

facilities and infrastructure

2. Lack of child habits and not

follow the rules

This supports the hypothesis that there is the effect

of playing against the potential ability of students in

kindergarten Nurul Aulia, Depok, West Java

increased in the academic year 2016/2017.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results of the conclusions that

describes an increase in each cycle, then the media

playdough be one solution to develop fine motor

skills in children, by obtaining the conclusion that

through play playdough can develop fine motor

skills of children, then it will also have positive

influence on teachers to consider media will be used

in further learning, especially for early childhood

development potential.

Playdough media use is very beneficial for

children in an effort to develop fine motor skills of

children and learning activities are very enjoyable.

For the teacher it can be used as consideration for

the selection of the appropriate media in an effort to

develop the fine motor skills of children. This study

is also useful for schools to increase children's

achievement in the field the ability to overcome the

problem in any school activities.

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