Inovasi Alat Permainan Edukatif (APE) Ramah Lingkungan Untuk Edukasi Bagi Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini

Abstract

This research is motivated by the importance of Educational Play Tools (APE) as an essential medium in supporting the cognitive, motor, social, and emotional development of early childhood. The developed innovations include three types of games bowling score from used plastic bottles to train motor coordination, geometric puzzle from used cardboard to sharpen logical thinking and problem-solving skills, and the game assembling letters from bottle caps to stimulate language skills and early literacy. The purpose of this research is to develop an environmentally friendly APE innovation made from used items and to test the effectiveness of the APE in stimulating aspects of early childhood development. This study employs research and development (R&D) methods with a qualitative approach. The subjects of the research are parents and children from Karangtengah Village. The results of the study indicate that the APE (educational play tools) developed from used materials has a high level of acceptance in terms of design, functionality, and educational benefits. The product trials show that the use of this environmentally friendly APE can significantly enhance children's creativity and fine motor skills, as well as foster an environmental awareness attitude. Another advantage of this APE is its affordable cost, allowing parents to create it independently. Thus, this research proves that environmentally friendly APE can be an effective and sustainable alternative in supporting the education process for early childhood.