Sundanese Traditional Games as Media for Promoting Children’s Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor Development in Cikaum Subang

Preschool age that ranges from three to five years old is considered as a critical period for children’s development in several aspects. This development is highly suggested to be stimulated through activities that can be enjoyed by the children. Starting from this point, this study aims to investigate how Sundanese traditional games can promote the development of children’s cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities that are widely recognized as the three crucial learning domains proposed by Bloom (1956). The study that was conducted in Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in Cikaum Subang employed a descriptive qualitative method. The data of this study was taken from questionnaires that were distributed to 92 PAUD teachers as the participants. The study reveals that about 85% of the participants implemented traditional games as one of the teaching methods in their classes. Based on the analysis, it was found that the various types of traditional games employed by singing, guessing riddles, doing role play, and involving physical activities could promote the development of children’s cognitive, affective, and psychomotor capacities in three main ways. First, they provided children with game activities that could stimulate their thinking, counting, remembering, and solving problems capacity. Second, they helped develop children’s emotional quotient through the values learned and rules implemented in the games. Lastly, they involved physical activities that could improve the children’s strength, durability, flexibility,and balance.


Introduction
Early childhood refers to an individual figure who is undergoing a process of rapid development.The early age is also known as the golden period (golden age) for child development to acquire an educational process.At this stage, the growth of children's brain cells runs rapidly; to develop the child's potential.Early childhood education (PAUD) tends to be directed to facilitate the maximum growth and development of children in accordance with the values, normal and societal expectations.Early childhood education through the provision of experiences and stimuli maximum requires support from a proper environment for children's development.Providing stimulation through appropriate education can be implemented effectively with the assistance of educational institutions that provide a playground as a place of education.PAUD institutions as organizers and components need to provide a variety of activities that are able to develop various aspects of development such as: cognition, language, social, emotional, physical and psychomotor.Motoric skills are a series of related learning processes with experiences that lead to relevant change.There are two kinds of games in the ability to respond to learning activities; fine and gross motor (DeCaprio, 2013).
The talent and creativity of children in learning is one of the most essential factors in something pleasing.It is not only liked and played by children but also adults.Based on the observation, games do not only function as entertainment, but they also can function as education in which the players can learn something positive.Beaty (2013) suggested that Piaget and Vygotsky agree that children construct their knowledge through games exploration.They play using their sense of taste, touch, listener, vision, and controller so that several aspects of children's capacities can develop.Playing games is an essential behavioral trait of children, especially for preschool pupils who have regular physical activity within their learning process (Fromberg & Bergen, 2006;Mayall, 2002); yet the games should be a natural occasion for children in their regular activity (Anning & Edwards, 2006).Traditional games may provide important properties of ownership which children achieve unconsciously through the integration of intellectual, physical, moral, and spiritual values (Kolb, 1984).The traditional games give them the opportunity to be involved in learning, development, and growth of several aspects in their life (Kolb & Kolb, 2010).The amusing interactions which they receive and get with other children or their teachers while playing traditional games will constantly stimulate them in different developmental areas.For example, games have important contributions to children's cognitive development (Piaget, 1962;Vygotsky, 1966Vygotsky, , 1997) ) and later on to their psychosocial development (Elkind, 2007;Erikson, 1950).
There are various types of games and one of them is traditional games.Traditional games are games that grow and develop in a particular area, which are full of cultural values and community life values system and taught for generations from generation to generation (Kurniati, 2016).Traditional games are not merely entertaining devices.Considering the positive values that can be learnt and taken, traditional games are believed to be media that can facilitate the development of affective and cognitive abilities.In addition, most of these traditional games that are usually played with or without tools can promote the development of psychomotor skills considering the involvement of physical activities when they are played.According to Cooney (1999), traditional games are considered as a learning process that is suitable with the reference of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and very beneficial for teaching.Traditional games can be both methods and media of learning that assist the achievement of learning objectives, particularly in preschool that mainly focuses on the development of children's abilities through playing.Methods and media of learning are suggested as the two interrelated important elements in learning (Ulfah,et.al. 2020).On the point of that, the selection of a particular method or media of learning should be taken into account as it will affect one another and the objectives achievement in general.

Cognitive Ability
One of the most crucial aspects in children's development is cognitive capacity.Cognitive is defined as general intelligence (Newman, Newman, 2020) that involves the capacity to "reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience" (Plomin, 1999in Newman, 2020).It is in line with Gunarti, et. al (2016) and Sujiyono, et.al (2016) who state that cognitive deals with a process of thinking and observing.Hence, cognitive capacity is associated with intellectual aspects which connect one event with other events based on observation and experience.
Cognitive is categorized as one of the three learning domains proposed by Bloom (1956).According to the concept well known as bloom taxonomy, the cognitive domain focuses on six intellectual skills and levels that build a hierarchical cognitive framework ranging from the most basic to the most complex, including: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.However, this concept was revised in the mid-nineties by Lorin Anderson (1964) who proposed the categorization with a more active form of thinking, including remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating.These levels of skills should be fulfilled in order based on the hierarchy.It means, to achieve the higher levels, the lower ones should be achieved first.This framework is still widely used by educators to assist the observation of students' cognitive development and the construction of students' learning outcomes based on the level where they are.
In relation to children's cognitive development, Piaget (1936in Bailey, 2022) believes that children's cognitive capacity changes throughout childhood and simultaneously develops as they grow from the children's phase to the adult phase.The cognitive development of children in the preschool age is in the preoperational stage (Piaget, 1936in Bailey, 2022).It is mainly characterized with five characteristics including: (a) children develop the ability to use symbols, including language, (b) children have not been able to do operational thinking (operations are thoughts that can be reversed, (c) children are focused on one thought or idea, often outside other thoughts, (d) children have not been able to store memories and (e) children are egocentric.Considering the potentials of children's cognitive aspects and their characteristics, particularly in the preoperational stage, it is necessary for the preschoolers' teachers and parents to provide the children with activities that can stimulate cognitive development optimally.In addition, Piaget (1936in Bailey, 2022) states that this development happens as they interact with their environment.Cognitive development in children is not only obtained from adults but also acquired from the process of how they interact with the world and their surroundings (Ginsbur, et.al, 2003).

Affective Ability
Playing is believed to be a medium that can develop children's emotional capacity.Playing allows children to express feelings and expectations (Mutiah, 2012).It does not only provide enjoyable activities that bring hope and anticipation about a joyful world (Handayani, 2013), but also makes children acquire and process new information as well as experience to understand life and world.Playing includes the capacity to accept, express, and solve problems.According to Harly (2014), playing is an essential medium that can develop children's social skills, empathy, and egocentrism reduction.Through playing, children learn how to share, understand others, and take turns (DeVries, 2006).Kurniawati (2014) found that based on her research, the traditional games are effective to stimulate children's development in cooperating, adapting, interacting, self-controlling, giving empathy, obeying the rules, and appreciating others.In other words, traditional games can be stated as a useful means that help children develop their affective capacity.It is due to the form of traditional games which are usually played in groups.Relevant study conducted by Harly (2014) confirmed the children's social emotional development after the traditional game implementation in one of kindergartens.Additionally, Cahyono (2011) highlights that positive characters can be developed by traditional games as they contain positive values when played, such as honesty, responsibility, motivation, and obedience to the rules.Possessing these positive characteristics is surely significant as a good foundation to live their life, particularly when they become a part of society.Apart from that, traditional games allow children to learn about their cultures.It is crucial for children to learn about their culture.It is due to the large number of people's interactions are influenced by the cultural contexts (Neuliep, 2012).Culture allows individuals to know their identity and values of life, including the ways of how to interact and manage their social life.

Psychomotor Ability
Motor development is the development of movement controlled by coordinated activities between the nervous system, muscles, brain, and spinal cord.Motor development includes: gross and fine motor.Gross motoric skill refers to body movement that applies to large muscles or most of all members of the body; for example: the ability to sit, kick, run, go up and down stairs and so on (Badriyah, et.al, 2020).On the other hand, a fine motor is a movement that uses smooth muscular parts or certain parts of the body, which are influenced by opportunities to learn and practice.Some examples of fine motoric movements are the ability to move objects from hands, scribbling, stacking blocks, cutting, writing and so on.Both of these abilities are very important for children to develop optimally.
Many traditional games involve physical activities that can affect the development of psychomotor skills.The research found out that Sundanese traditional games implemented in the learning process were more effective to be conducted during the classroom activities.The traditional games were way more thrived than classroom regular activities in order to develop object control, basic skills and locomotor skills.This research led to the conclusion that gross motor skills could be stimulated by proper and appropriate physical activity programs; Sundanese traditional games for example.The games provided very wide opportunities for the pre-school pupils to do movement, learning experience for finding sensory or motoric activity which includes the use of muscles that allows children to receive developments of motoric perception.According to recent literature, children develop their basic motor skills through interaction with their environment.Some experts suggested that motor performance could be improved through practice, learning, and interaction with the environment, facilitating the consolidation of identified sequential maturation stages of motor development (Smith&Pellegrini, 2013).
After conducting initial observations to preschools located in Cikaum Subang, it turns out gross motor development in PAUD Cikaum Subang was still not fully developed.This could be the intensive treatment of the teachers who focused on some particular activity as block games, slides, swing, seesaw.Sundanese traditional games greatly shape children's psychomotor abilities.The traditional game should be taught or developed to students, since they are included in the learning curriculum which may improve children's gross motor skills.
Some traditional game program components may have contributed to beneficial effects on manipulative and locomotor skills include: (a) a curriculum that is made of multiple-skill practice trails in each lesson, (b) appropriate opportunity for skill learning.Although it is commonly believed that children automatically acquire motor skills as their bodies develop, scientists believe now that environmental conditions are effective on motor skill development.Environmental conditions that include opportunities for practice, encouragement and instruction are crucial to the development of mature patterns of fundamental movement (Russ, 2004).

Method
This research employed a qualitative descriptive method.This study was conducted to answer a research question: How does the Sundanese Traditional Games promote the children's cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development in PAUD Kecamatan Cikaum Subang.This study was conducted in Kecamatan Cikaum Subang, involving 92 teachers of Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in that region as the participants.The data of this study were collected by distributing questionnaires to the participants.The questionnaire mainly consisted of questions that asked the participants' perception and experience in implementing the sundanese traditional games in their early childhood class.Additionally, the questionnaire inquired about how the sundanese traditional games implementation could affect the children's cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development.The qualitative methodology as a research procedure is implemented in order to exploit and utilize descriptive data in the form of questionnaires taken from the participants throughout the training session (Moeleong, Lexy J., 2002).The recent observation within the seminar session showed that inspiring teachers were found to be highly motivated, the way they teach turned out to be varied differently according to the situation and condition of their pupils, confirming that context has a significant role in how both learners and teachers conceive of inspiring pedagogy (Nassaji, 2015).
Descriptive and qualitative methods refer to strategic research where in the depths of the incident cover-up investigator, phenomena of the lives of individuals and question one or a group of individuals to tell their activities.This information is then retold by researchers in a descriptive chronology (Rusandi&Rusli, 2020).Furthermore, descriptive research refers to the research which describes and interprets some cases or events, for example situations and conditions occurred institutions; in this occasion, the institutions were pre-school (PAUD) pupils.It may concern the opinions that are developing, the consequences or effects that occur.The type of qualitative descriptive research displays data as it is without fabricative processing or other treatments.The purpose of this research is to provide a complete description of an event or intended to expose and clarify an activity that occurs.In no other way, it described some number of variables regarding the problem under study (Sukardi, 2014).Qualitative research has a particular research design.This draft describes the procedure or steps to be taken, the time research, data sources and conditions under which data were collected, and by means how the data is processed.This stage is necessary because research is a method of study that is carried out through careful and perfect investigation of a problem, so that a solution is obtained appropriately for the problems (Murdiyanto, 2020).The stages of research were initiated by building a conceptual framework, formulating research problems, sampling selection and research limitations, conducting instrumentation, collecting data, analyzing data, matrix and testing conclusion (Miles and Huberman, 1994).
Implementing traditional games in young learner teaching may be a fun and effective way to engage students and promote various skills and knowledge.To ensure a successful integration of traditional games into the teaching process, research method involves should specify several steps.The role of those particular tools was essential to be implemented by using qualitative method; since the data and information obtained were well-identified (Gultom, S., et.al., 2022).
Identify the learning objectives; determine the specific educational goals to achieve through the integration of traditional games.This could include improving language skills, promoting cultural awareness, enhancing social skills, or developing physical coordination, among others.Select appropriate traditional games; this research implements Sundanese traditional games and select specific traditional games that align with the learning objectives and are suitable for the age group and abilities of young learners.Consider cultural relevance, educational value, and safety factors when choosing the games.Gather background information to conduct research on the selected traditional games to understand their origin, rules, gameplay, variations, and the skills they promote.This enables researchers to effectively teach and adapt the games to suit classroom requirements.Adapt the games for the classroom: Analyze the rules and mechanics of the traditional games and determine how they can be modified or adapted to fit the classroom environment.
Data collecting in this research were in the form of qualitative and quantitative techniques with test-practice in obtaining particular data on increasing the effectiveness of the physical condition training model (Repiyasa, et.al 2019).
Consider factors such as class size, available resources, and time constraints.Simplify rules, adjust game duration, and create variations that promote learning objectives.Creating teaching materials is also conducted, such as handouts, visuals, or multimedia resources, to support the introduction and explanation of the traditional games.These materials can provide additional context, vocabulary, or instructions that enhance students' understanding and engagement.
Designing a lesson plan or instructional sequence that incorporates the traditional games into teaching process was the significant and essential part of this research.By determining the appropriate timing, duration, and frequency of game sessions, the games will be more practical, and reinforced within the curriculum.
Conducting a pilot test before implementing the traditional games with students.Conducting a pilot test with a small group of students gave more comprehensive observation to student engagement, comprehension, and learning outcomes.By adding necessary adjustments to the rules, instructions, or materials based on their feedback and performance, the games were completely engaged students and teachers.In addition, data analysis in this research generated four stages; the data collection, the data reduction stage, the data display stage, and the conclusion verifying stage (Iwandana,D., 2021).
Introducing the traditional games to the larger group of young learners during the implementation was also essential.Observe and assess students' participation, skill development, and overall learning outcomes became easier to conduct.Collecting qualitative and quantitative data through observations, student feedback, and assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of the games was the purpose in achieving the intended learning objectives.Reflect on the implementation process and outcomes.Consider student feedback, researchers' observations, and assessment results to identify strengths and areas for improvement.Adjust the game adaptations, instructional strategies, or supplementary materials as needed for future implementations.
By implementing these research methods, the research can be ensured that a systematic and evidence-based approach to implementing traditional games in young learner teaching enhanced student engagement and learning outcomes.

Result and Discussion
Based on the questionnaire distributed to the participants, it was found that the majority of participants or about 93,5% of the participants use traditional games as part of the teaching learning method in their Early Childhood Education classes.This percentage was calculated from the number of participants who chose to agree and strongly agree in using the traditional games in their classes as can be seen in the following chart.

Chart 1 The Percentage of Participants Who Use Traditional Games in Their Class
The participants employed various types of traditional games in their classes, such as the games with physical activities, singing, riddles, and role playing.It is in line with Andriani, Tuti (2012) who classified games into several types which some of them involve activities of singing, guessing riddles, and doing role play.The following chart indicates that the traditional games with singing and physical activities are the most implemented games in the participants' early childhood classes.In spite of the fact, the use of traditional games with riddles and role play also still takes up more than fifty percent.

Chart 2 The Percentage of Participants Who Use Traditional Games in Their Class
The data demonstrated some examples of each type of the traditional games.In relation to the traditional games with physical activities, some participants mentioned "lompat tinggi", "engklek", "soldah", "boy-boyan", and "bakiak".These traditional games required the players to jump, hop, throw, run, or walk with balance.Thus, they could be used as the teaching method to develop the children's psychomotor capacities including the fine and gross motor due to the related skills needed when playing the games.
Regarding the traditional games with singing activities that were usually played, the participants mentioned some of the examples such as "oray-orayan", "domikado", and "paciwitciwit lutung".The songs sung in the aforementioned traditional games are in Sundanese language.Some of the lyrics indicate imperative language or instructions of how to play the game, for example, "paciwit-ciwit lutung, si lutung pindah ka luhur".Hence, the children may acquire new language, comprehension to understand the instructions, and memory in remembering the lyrics which may affect their cognitive development.
According to the analysis of data obtained from the distributed questionnaire, it was revealed that the various Sundanese traditional games mentioned above were likely to promote the children's cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development in three ways.First of all, the Sundanese traditional games provided children with activities that stimulated their cognitive domains.In the analyzed data, 82 participants agree and even strongly agree that the sundanese traditional games trained the children to think logically and systematically.The rules of the games made the children think to receive and comprehend the information and instructions, to imitate and even determine strategy to play and win the games well.In addition, 86 participants believed that the games improved their counting skill as some of them required the children to count.Apart from these, most of the participants also agreed that the traditional games could affect the children's capacities in remembering, being creative, and solving problems.It was due to the requirement in remembering the instructions, steps, lyrics as well as in being creative in solving the challenges that might appear during the games so that the children could finish and even win the games.These findings were mainly in line with the first three levels of cognitive domains, proposed by Bloom (1956) andLorin Anderson (1964), that should be developed including remembering, understanding, and applying.The children's cognitive development could happen during the time of playing the traditional games that mostly could be played without tools or with tools that could be accessed easily from the surroundings.Furthermore, most of the sundanese traditional games were played in groups which required interaction.Hence, this finding was supported by a theory suggested by Piaget (1936in Bailey, 2022) who stated that the children's cognitive development happens as they interact with their environment.
Secondly, the Sundanese traditional games helped develop children's affective capacity through the values learned and rules implemented in the games.Majority of participants confirmed that the traditional games could release children's emotional energy and improve their confidence as the games could be enjoyable and allowed them to express their emotions such as laughing and even screaming.Additionally, they contained values and rules that could develop their affective skills such as cooperation, respect, honesty, and obedience.It was relevant with the study conducted by Harly (2014) and Cahyono (2011) who revealed the development of children's positive characters through the traditional games.This affective development could happen because when the children were playing, DeVries (2006) stated that they learn how to share, understand others, and take turns.
Many Sundanese traditional games involved physical activities.On the point of that, the analysis also showed the findings of children's psychomotor development through the Sundanese traditional games.It was identified that the Sundanese traditional games engaged in many activities requiring several fine and gross motors.The theory said that gross motoric skill refers to body movement that applies to large muscles or most of all members of the body; for example: the ability to sit, kick, run, go up and down stairs and so on (Badriyah, et.al, 2020).Hence, some Sundanese traditional games mentioned by the participants in the questionnaire such as "boy-boyan", "ucing sumput", or "soldah" could be identified as the games that involved the gross motor skills like running and hopping.
On the other hand, a fine motor is a movement that uses smooth muscular parts or certain parts of the body, which are influenced by opportunities to learn and practice.Some examples of fine motoric movements are the ability to move objects from hands, scribbling, stacking blocks, cutting, writing and so on.In this case, "congklak", Both of these abilities are very important for children to develop optimally.For that reason, 90 participants demonstrated their agreement on the Sundanese traditional games in promoting the children's psychomotor development.They confirmed that the traditional games played, particularly the ones with physical activities, were able to allow the children to practice their strength, durability, flexibility, and balance.
The implementation of traditional games in teaching young learners has yielded several positive outcomes and benefits.1. Traditional games often have an element of novelty and excitement for young learners.By incorporating these games into the classroom, teachers can capture students' interest and motivation, leading to increased engagement in the learning process.2. Traditional games can promote various skills and knowledge areas.Depending on the specific game and learning objectives, students can develop language skills (vocabulary, listening, and speaking), cognitive skills (problem-solving, critical thinking), physical coordination, social skills (teamwork, communication), cultural awareness, and more.3. Traditional games typically involve active participation, encouraging students to move, interact, and collaborate with their peers.This hands-on approach can create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment, allowing students to learn through experiential and kinesthetic means.4. Traditional games are often deeply rooted in specific cultures and traditions.By introducing these games to young learners, teachers can promote cultural appreciation and understanding.Students gain insights into different cultures, their values, and their ways of play, fostering a sense of global awareness and respect. 5.Many traditional games are designed to be played in groups or teams, fostering a cooperative and inclusive learning environment.Students learn to work together, communicate effectively, and develop social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and resolving conflicts.6. Introducing traditional games can create a positive and enjoyable classroom atmosphere.The games provide opportunities for laughter, fun, and friendly competition, contributing to a positive classroom culture that supports learning and builds rapport between students and teachers.7. Traditional games often engage multiple senses, offering a multisensory learning experience.
Students learn through observation, listening, physical movement, and tactile experiences, which can enhance their retention and understanding of concepts.8.Many skills developed through traditional games can be transferred to other areas of students' lives.For example, problem-solving skills acquired during game play can be applied to academic subjects or real-life situations.9. Integrating traditional games in teaching young learners can contribute to the preservation and continuity of cultural heritage.By passing on these games to future generations, teachers help preserving traditional practices alive and ensure that cultural knowledge is not lost.10.Traditional games often resonate with parents and the wider community, as they may have played these games in their own childhoods.Involving parents and community members in the teaching and playing of traditional games can strengthen the home-school connection and create opportunities for intergenerational bonding and learning.
It's important to note that the specific outputs may vary depending on the chosen games, the teaching context, and the implementation strategies.Regular assessment and reflection will help you gauge the impact of traditional game integration and make any necessary adjustments to maximize the benefits for young learners.Furthermore, by the result of the research conducted by Widyatama University researchers at PAUD Cikaum Subang has shown several significant modification towards teaching method previously conducted by the teachers.

Conclusion
Every day, educational activities are conducted.In carrying out the activities that the teacher has planned, students are interconnected.The teacher bears exclusive responsibility for the learning process's success.Many teachers today include a variety of gadgets into their lessons, including smartphones, laptops, and online games.Additionally, more of the class's students are interested in using these technologies.
The existence of traditional games began to be eroded by digital games.The existence of traditional games is sidelined by the existence of modern games, such as video games and other virtual games.The presence of technology in games, on the one hand, may stimulate children's cognitive development, but on the other hand, these games can stunt children's potential to develop in other aspects, and it is not impossible that they will lead children to isolate themselves from their environment, and even tend to act aggressively.
So the results of this study showed how the preschool teachers in Cikaum, Subang promoted the children's cognitive, affective and psychomotor development through Sundanese traditional games.This development is highly suggested to be stimulated through activities that can be enjoyed by the children as the media of learning.According to the analysis, it revealed that there were four types of sundanese traditional games implemented.Those were the Sundanese traditional games by singing, guessing riddles, doing role play, and involving physical activities.The aforementioned traditional games were believed to highly affect the development of children's cognitive, affective, and psychomotor capacities in three main ways.First, they provided children with game activities that could stimulate their thinking, counting, remembering, and solving problems capacity.Second, they helped develop children's emotional quotient through the values learned and rules implemented in the games.Lastly, they involved physical activities that could improve the children's strength, durability, flexibility, and balance.
This study was conducted with limitations related to the restricted research instrument used and the restricted research duration.These limitations might affect the depth of data obtained.For that reason, it is suggested that further research could employ more instruments in taking data and for longer duration.However, this study can demonstrate how significant the Sundanese traditional games are in developing the children's cognitive, affective, and psychomotor capacities.