HUBUNGAN ANTARA AKTIVITAS BERMAIN PUZZLE DENGAN KEMAMPUAN MOTORIK HALUS ANAK USIA DINI(Studi Kuantitatif Penelitian di Kelompok B RA Baitussalam Kota Bandung)

Abstract

This study was motivated by the discrepancy between the high frequency of puzzle-playing activities and the low level of fine motor skills among children in Group B at RA Baitussalam, Bandung. This is evident from the children’s responses when assembling and disassembling puzzles; fundamentally, the children already possess the skills to move their fingers well. On the other hand, the children’s fine motor skills have not yet fully developed, as evidenced by their inability to draw lines according to a pattern, grasp objects, pick up objects, tear paper to size, and cut along a pattern. This study aims to determine: 1) puzzle-playing activities; 2) children’s fine motor skills; and 3) the relationship between puzzle-playing activities and the fine motor skills of early childhood students in Group B at RA Baitussalam in Bandung. There are many factors that influence the fine motor skills of young children, one of which is puzzle-playing activities. Playing with puzzles can train the flexibility of the fingers for tearing, cutting, pinching, and drawing lines, as well as hand-eye coordination. Based on this theoretical assumption, the following hypothesis can be formulated: the more children engage in puzzle-playing activities, the higher their fine motor skills will be. The research methodology employed a quantitative approach using a correlation method. The subjects of this study were 21 children in Group B at RA Baitussalam in Bandung. This study used a saturation sampling technique, meaning the entire population was included as the sample. Data collection techniques included observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of the data analysis show that puzzle-playing activities yielded an average score of 79, which is interpreted as “good.” Meanwhile, children’s fine motor skills yielded an average score of 80, which is interpreted as “very good.” Furthermore, the relationship between puzzle-playing activities and children’s fine motor skills yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.634. This correlation coefficient falls into the strong/high category, as it falls within the range of 0.600–0.799. The significance test yielded a calculated t-value of 3.573, which is greater than the critical t-value of 2.093. This means that H₀ (the null hypothesis) is rejected and H₁ (the alternative hypothesis) is accepted. In other words, puzzle-playing activities have a positive relationship with the fine motor skills of children in Group B at RA Baitussalam in Bandung. Furthermore, puzzle-playing activities contribute 40.19% to the fine motor skills of early childhood. Meanwhile, the remaining 59.81% of early childhood fine motor skills is influenced by other factors.