PENGARUH PERMAINAN KARTU EKSPRESI TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN EMOSIONAL ANAK USIA 4-5 TAHUN DI TK AL- AMIN KOTA JAMBI

Abstract

This study identified the limitations of the emotional abilities of 4-5 year old children at Al-Amin Kindergarten in Jambi City, such as difficulties in recognizing and expressing emotions, which was observed in September 2025. The main objective was to test the influence of the Expression Card game on the improvement of these abilities using a quantitative design of one-group pretest-posttest in 16 class A children, with observation based on indicators of Permendikbud No. 137/2014, followed by six treatment sessions and analysis of paired t-tests and Cohen's d. The results showed a significant increase from the mean pretest of 15.63 to the posttest of 27.50 (t=-33.728, p=0.000), with an effect size of 0.84 (large effect). Implicitly, this game is effective as an interactive learning medium for teachers and parents in stimulating self-awareness, emotional control, and prosocial behavior in early childhood. In conclusion, facial expression-based play interventions significantly optimize children's emotional development, recommended for wide application in early childhood education