Utilizing Natural Materials to Stimulate Creativity in Children Aged 5–6 Years: A Classroom Action Research Study in Early Childhood Education

Authors

  • Fitri Febri Handayani Semarang State University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
  • Triyana Triyana Manado State University, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
  • Sefriyanti Sefriyanti Darussalam Islamic Higher Education Institute of Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia
  • Amalia Husna Padang State University, West Sumatra, Indonesia
  • Husnul Hafidhoh Kuningan Islamic Higher Education Institute, West Java, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46963/mash.v9i01.3053

Keywords:

Natural materials, Children's creativity, Children aged 5-6 years, Classroom action research

Abstract

Early childhood education plays a crucial role in stimulating creativity as a foundation for developing high-quality human resources. Children’s creativity can be fostered from an early age through meaningful and contextual learning experiences, one of which involves the use of natural materials closely connected to children’s everyday environments. This study aimed to examine improvements in creativity among children aged 5–6 years through the use of natural-material-based learning media in early childhood education settings. This study employed a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model, implemented in two cycles. The participants consisted of 25 children from Group B at PAUD Kasih Ibu, Kempas District. Data were collected through structured observation and field notes, while data analysis used percentage techniques to identify changes in children’s creativity across action cycles. The findings indicate that the use of natural materials effectively and gradually enhances children’s creativity. Improvements were observed in children’s abilities to explore, imagine, try new ideas, and express ideas independently. These results suggest that natural materials function as effective contextual learning media that support creativity development in early childhood. Therefore, this study provides practical implications for early childhood educators in designing creative, contextual, and sustainable learning experiences.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adinda, W. N., Wahyuni, S., & Majidah, K. (2020). Penilaian autentik pada pembelajaran kreativitas anak usia dini di Annur I Sleman Yogyakarta. Jurnal Raudah, 8(1), 92–104.

Alabbasi, A. M. A., Paek, S. H., Kim, D., & Cramond, B. (2022). What do educators need to know about the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: A comprehensive review? Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 1000385. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1000385

Anggraini, E. S., Pasaribu, I. R. B., Hasibuan, E. R., Ainunnisa, Z., Harahap, & Luthfi, R. (2024). Kurangnya penggunaan media bermain yang menarik dalam pembelajaran anak usia dini PAUD Al-Amin. Sindoro Cendekia Pendidikan, 8(8), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.8734/CAUSA.v1i2.365

Anzani, R. W., Insan, I. K., & Tangerang, U. M. (2020). Perkembangan sosial emosional pada anak usia prasekolah. Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 2, 180–193.

Arikunto, S. (2015). Penelitian tindakan kelas. Bumi Aksara.

Arini, I., & Fajarwati, A. (2020). Media bahan alam untuk mengembangkan kemampuan klasifikasi pada anak usia dini. Jurnal Ilmiah PTK PNF, 15(2), 117–126.

Astini, B. N., Suarta, I. N., Habibi, M., & Fitrianingsih, Y. (2021). Pengembangan kegiatan membatik dengan bahan alam untuk meningkatkan kreativitas anak usia 5–6 tahun. Indonesian Journal of Elementary and Childhood Education, 2(1), 225–229. https://journal.publication-center.com/index.php/ijece/article/view/678/170

Debeturu, B., & Wijayaningsih, E. L. (2019). Meningkatkan kreativitas anak usia 5–6 tahun melalui media magic puffer ball. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 3(1), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v3i1.180

Ekayati, I. A. A. S., & Fitriani, D. (2020). Meningkatkan keterampilan sains dalam analisis beragam rasa melalui media bahan alam. AWLADY: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak, 6(2), 192–205.

Elvariani, A., Ilyas, S. N., & Parwoto, F. (2024). Pengaruh bermain proyek dengan media bahan alam terhadap kreativitas anak di TK Wahyu. Fashluna, 5(1), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.47625/fashluna.v5i1.540

Fajrie, N., Kartika, D. D., Utaminingsih, S., & Santoso, D. A. (2024). Natural material-based art learning model increases aesthetic experiences in early childhood. Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini Undiksha, 12(1), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.23887/paud.v12i1.74612

Handayani, F. F. (2022). Permainan tradisional Lulu Cina Buta: Stimulasi keterampilan sosial emosional anak. AWLADY: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak, 8(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.24235/awlady.v8i1.9609

Handayani, F., & Munastiwi, E. (2025). Kreativitas guru memanfaatkan bahan alam sebagai media belajar untuk menstimulus aspek perkembangan anak. Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat dan Riset Pendidikan, 3(4), 2074–2085. https://doi.org/10.31004/jerkin.v3i4.593

Hariyanto. (2023). Peningkatan kreativitas melalui kegiatan kolase menggunakan bahan alam pada anak kelompok B TK PGRI Temanggung. Jurnal Audi, 3(2), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.33061/jai.v4i1.3025

Kusumawardani, R., Rosidah, L., Dina, R., Wardhani, K., & Raharja, R. M. (2018). Profil kreativitas anak usia 5–6 tahun. Jurnal Ilmiah VISI PGTK PAUD dan DIKMAS, 13(1), 11–16.

Qiromah, I. M., Pradana, P. H., & Hasanah, H. (2024). Improving early childhood creative thinking skills through nature-based loose parts media. Child Education Journal, 5(3), 180–189. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v5i3.5759

Mar’ataini, H., Habibi, M., Rachmayani, I., & Astawa, I. M. S. (2020). Meningkatkan kreativitas anak usia 5–6 tahun melalui penggunaan media bahan alam. Indonesian Journal of Elementary and Childhood Education, 2(1), 197–201.

Noviana, D., Nisa’, T. F., & Karim, M. B. (2019). Tingkat pengetahuan guru PAUD tentang Kurikulum 2013. Jurnal PG-PAUD Trunojoyo: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran Anak Usia Dini, 6(2), 114–124. https://doi.org/10.21107/pgpaudtrunojoyo.v6i2.6153

Oktari, D. M. (2017). Penggunaan media bahan alam dalam pembelajaran di Taman Kanak-Kanak Kartika I-63 Padang. PAUDLectura: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 1(1), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.31849/paudlectura.v1i1.503

Rahayu, D. I., Nurhasanah, & Suarta, I. N. (2021). Penerapan permainan tradisional pada main pembukaan pembelajaran anak usia dini. Indonesian Journal of Elementary and Childhood Education, 2(1), 171–176.

Rahmah, R., Abidin, Z., & Ibdalsyah, I. (2025). Efforts to improve children’s motor skills and creativity through activities at the center for natural materials. Al Hikmah Indonesian Journal of Early Childhood Islamic Education, 9(1), 175–186. https://doi.org/10.35896/ijecie.v9i1.984

Sudijono, A. (2019). Pengantar statistika pendidikan. RajaGrafindo Persada.

Sugiyono. (2019). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta.

Ulfah. (2024). Strategi guru dalam pemanfaatan media bahan alam dan lingkungan sekitar untuk meningkatkan kreativitas anak usia dini di PAUD Melati Duko Rubaru Sumenep. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal, 5(6), 6944–6955. https://doi.org/10.54373/imeij.v5i6.2138

Vygotsky, L. S. (2004). Imagination and creativity in childhood. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 42(1), 7–97. https://doi.org/10.2753/RPO1061-0405280184

Widyaningtyas, W., Shari, D., Saleh, N. R., & Asmara, B. (2021). Meningkatkan kemampuan kognitif mengenal bentuk geometri melalui media bahan alam batu pelangi. As-Sibyan: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 6(1), 41–52.

Yunita, L., Mayar, F., Suryana, D., & Mahyuddin, N. (2025). The effect of utilizing natural environmental resources on the creativity and fine motor skills of children aged 4–5 years. Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology, 14(2), 825–833. https://doi.org/10.12928/jehcp.v14i2.31028

Downloads

Published

2026-02-01

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 01 (2026): Mitra Ash-Shibyan: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Konseling

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Fitri Febri Handayani; Triyana Triyana, Sefriyanti Sefriyanti, Amalia Husna, Husnul Hafidhoh

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Copyright on any article is retained by the author(s).
2. The author grants the journal, right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution shareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
3. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
4. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
5. The article and any associated published material is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

How to Cite

Handayani, F. F., Triyana, T., Sefriyanti, S., Husna, A. ., & Hafidhoh, H. . (2026). Utilizing Natural Materials to Stimulate Creativity in Children Aged 5–6 Years: A Classroom Action Research Study in Early Childhood Education. Mitra Ash-Shibyan: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Konseling, 9(01), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.46963/mash.v9i01.3053

Most read articles by the same author(s)