PENGARUH PENERAPAN PERMAINAN TRADISIONAL DAKON DALAM MENINGKATKAN KEAMAMPUAN KOGNITIF ANAK USIA DINI DI KOBER KEMBANG HAREPAN

Abstract

The rapid development of technology has brought significant changes to children's play patterns, where traditional games are being abandoned and replaced by gadget-based games.  One effort to maintain and optimize children's cognitive development is through the reintroduction of traditional games, such as dakon, which not only contain elements of entertainment but also train concentration, numeracy, strategy, and patience. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of implementing the traditional dakon game in improving the cognitive abilities of early childhood children. This study is a quantitative study with a Quasi Experiment type using a Non-equivalent Control Group design. The study population was all grade B students of Kober Kembang Harepan with a sample of 20 children. Data were collected through observation and documentation techniques, then analyzed using normality tests, homogeneity tests, and hypothesis tests (t-tests) with a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that the control group (without dakon implementation) had a pretest significance value = 0.135 and a posttest significance value = 0.175, indicating no significant effect of the intervention without the implementation of dakon media. In contrast, the experimental group that implemented the dakon game showed a significant increase with a pretest significance value = 0.202 and a posttest significance value = 0.355. These findings prove that the implementation of the traditional dakon game has a positive and significant effect in improving the cognitive abilities of early childhood. In conclusion, the traditional dakon game can be an alternative effective learning strategy while preserving local culture.