LOOSE PARTS SEBAGAI MEDIA KREATIF: STRATEGI JITU TINGKATKAN MOTORIK HALUS ANAK KELOMPOK A

Abstract

Fine motor skills are a fundamental aspect of development that must be stimulated

from an early age, as they are closely related to children's readiness to master

advanced academic skills such as writing. This research aims to improve teacher

activity, children's learning activity, as well as cutting and pasting skills in Group A

students at TK Negeri Pembina Banjarmasin Selatan through the implementation of

a Project-Based Learning model combined with Direct Instruction and the use of

Loose Parts media.This study was motivated by the low achievement of children's

fine motor skills at the pre-cycle stage. Initial data showed that only 18% of children

had reached the categories of Developing as Expected (BSH) and Highly Developed

(BSB), while 82% were still in the categories of Not Yet Developed (BB) and

Beginning to Develop (MB) in cutting and pasting activities. This condition indicates

that the learning process so far has not fully provided enough opportunities for

children to explore and practice in order to train the coordination of the small

muscles of the hands and fingers. Therefore, a more structured, practical, and

enjoyable learning intervention is needed to optimally develop children's fine motor

skills. The method used was collaborative Classroom Action Research (CAR)

conducted in two cycles, involving 11 Group A children as subjects. Data were

collected through observation and documentation, then analyzed descriptively and

comparatively by comparing the results of the pre-cycle, Cycle I, and Cycle II. The

results revealed significant improvement in each cycle. Teacher activity increased

from the Fair category in Cycle I to Very Good in Cycle II. Children’s classical

learning activity also improved sharply, as did the achievement of cutting and

pasting skills, which increased significantly until reaching the Developing as

Expected and Highly Developed categories at the end of Cycle II, thus achieving the

predetermined indicators of success. It can be concluded that the integration of the

Project-Based Learning model, Direct Instruction, and Loose Parts media is

effective in improving learning activities and fine motor skills of children aged 4–5

years. It is recommended that early childhood educators adopt this combination of

approaches as an alternative teaching strategy, school principals provide optimal

support for the implementation of these teaching methods, and future researchers

further develop studies on other aspects of early childhood development.