Peer-reviewed article
Implementation of Early Syllable Games to Improve Early Childhood Reading Learning
Maria Yudica Dina, Alma Vorfi Lama ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study tested a play-based Initial Syllable Game to help kindergarten children learn to read. It was carried out in one kindergarten class (Group A2) at TK Istana Balita Cheng Hoo with 26 children. Teachers worked in repeated cycles of planning, action, observation and reflection, using observation, interviews and documentation. The authors report that children got better at recognising, identifying and pronouncing initial syllables, and became more confident and engaged. The study describes children moving from 'needs guidance' to 'good' and 'very good' performance categories.
Key points
- The Initial Syllable Game improved children's ability to recognise, identify and pronounce initial syllables.
- Children showed gains in confidence, participation and reading accuracy.
- Performance moved gradually from 'needs guidance' to 'good' and 'very good' categories.
- The play-based, interactive format increased motivation and positive classroom engagement.
- The cyclical plan-act-observe-reflect model offers teachers a practical way to keep improving instruction.
Limitations
The study covers one class of 26 children and uses descriptive qualitative methods with no comparison group, so it cannot show that the game caused the improvement or that results would hold elsewhere. The abstract does not name the country (the school name suggests Indonesia, but this is not stated) and gives no numerical results.
Abstract
This study aims to improve early childhood reading skills through the implementation of an Initial Syllable Game. The importance of this research lies in providing an engaging, play-based strategy that supports early literacy development in a child-centered learning environment. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach conducted at TK Istana Balita Cheng Hoo involving 26 children in Group A2. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. The research was implemented using cyclical stages of planning, action, observation, and reflection to systematically evaluate and improve the learning process. Data were analyzed inductively using descriptive qualitative techniques. The findings indicate that the Initial Syllable Game effectively enhanced children’s ability to recognize, identify, and pronounce initial syllables. Improvements were observed in children’s confidence, participation, and reading accuracy, with a gradual increase in performance categories from “needs guidance” to “good” and “very good.” The play-based and interactive nature of the game also fostered motivation and positive classroom engagement. The study implies that structured syllable-based games can serve as an effective instructional strategy for strengthening early literacy skills in kindergarten settings. Furthermore, the cyclical reflective model demonstrated in this research provides a practical framework for teachers to continuously improve classroom instruction through systematic evaluation and adaptation.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- A play-based Initial Syllable Game used in class, delivered through cycles of planning, action, observation and reflection
- Population
- 26 children in Group A2 at TK Istana Balita Cheng Hoo kindergarten
Key finding
Children improved in recognising, identifying and pronouncing initial syllables.
Dina et al. · Crossref · 30 Dec 2025