The Effect of Traditional Games on Gross Motor Development in Early Childhood: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Traditional games provide culturally meaningful movement experiences that may stimulate fundamental motor development during early childhood. However, controlled evidence remains limited for structured multi-game traditional interventions in Islamic early childhood education settings using criterion-based gross motor assessment. This study examined the effect of a structured traditional-games program on gross motor development among children attending RA Raudlotul Hidayah Sindang Laut. A quantitative quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control-group design was modeled with 79 children aged 5-6 years, comprising 40 children in the intervention group and 39 in the control group. The intervention consisted of an eight-week program delivered three times per week for approximately 35 minutes per session and incorporated engklek, gobak sodor, bakiak, boy-boyan, and jump-rope activities. Gross motor competence was assessed using performance criteria adapted from the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3), covering locomotor and ball-skill components. The current numerical results are illustrative rather than verified field findings; therefore, they cannot be interpreted as empirical evidence until replaced with actual participant data and the analyses are rerun. Conceptually, the study design is intended to test whether structured traditional games produce greater gross motor improvement than usual movement-learning activities after controlling for baseline performance. The educational implication is that, if supported by verified field data, structured traditional games may offer low-cost, culturally grounded activities for strengthening gross motor competence in early childhood settings.