Improving Early Childhood Storytelling Skills Through Hand Puppet Storytelling Activities

Authors

  • Irma Nur Meiliawati Universitas Panca Sakti Bekasi, Indonesia
  • Yon A.E Universitas Panca Sakti Bekasi, Indonesia
  • Fitrah Mulyanti Universitas Panca Sakti Bekasi, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/jiph.v5i3.27

Keywords:

Early Childhood, Language Development, Storytelling, Hand Puppets, Classroom Action Research

Abstract

This study aimed to improve early childhood language development through hand puppet storytelling activities at PAUD Pelangi Ceria, Lebak, Banten. The study employed Classroom Action Research using the Kemmis and McTaggart model, consisting of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting stages. The participants were 16 children in Group B, aged 5–6 years. Data were collected through observations conducted during the pre-cycle and two intervention cycles, supported by interviews, documentation, and field notes. The observed indicators included listening, understanding story content, expressing ideas orally, and retelling stories. Results showed an increase in language development mastery from 41% in the pre-cycle to 64% in Cycle I and 85% in Cycle II. These findings indicate that interactive hand puppet storytelling can effectively support children’s language development.

References

Arikunto, S. (2010). Penelitian tindakan kelas. Bumi Aksara.

Burns, A. (2010). Doing action research in English language teaching: A guide for practitioners. Routledge.

Dickinson, D. K., & Tabors, P. O. (Eds.). (2001). Beginning literacy with language: Young children learning at home and school. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Ghofur, E. H., & Nurhayati, S. (2023). Multimedia-based learning media development to improve early childhood expressive language ability. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 7(2), 2373–2382. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v7i2.4416

Ghofur, E. H., & Nurhayati, S. (2023). Multimedia-based storytelling learning media effectivity for early childhood’s expressive language skill development. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 7(6), 6677–6686. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v7i6.4446

Hadley, E. B., Barnes, E. M., & Hwang, H. J. (2023). Purposes, places, and participants: A systematic review of teacher language practices and child oral language outcomes in early childhood classrooms. Early Education and Development, 34(4), 862–884.

Hadley, E. B., Barnes, E. M., Wiernik, B. M., & Raghavan, M. (2022). A meta-analysis of teacher language practices in early childhood classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 59, 186–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.12.002

Hurlock, E. B. (1978). Child development (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (1988). The action research planner (3rd ed.). Deakin University Press.

Mertler, C. A. (2019). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Mujahidah, N., Damayanti, E., & Afiif, A. (2021). The role of storytelling methods using hand puppets in early children’s language development. Child Education Journal, 3(2), 78–91. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v3i2.2129

Noble, C., Sala, G., Peter, M., Lingwood, J., Rowland, C., Gobet, F., & Pine, J. (2019). The impact of shared book reading on children’s language skills: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 28, 100290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100290

Özcan, S. (2026). The effect of dialogic reading interventions on narrative skills in the preschool period: A systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 11, 1817388. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1817388

Rafianur, I., Amrullah, S., Awalunisah, S., & Fitriana. (2025). The effectiveness of finger puppet uses on speaking abilities of 4–5-year-old children in State Kindergarten 2, Parigi Tengah Desa Matolele Village. Journal of Educational Sciences, 9(6), 5982–5993.

Rafiola, R. H., Anggraini, D., & Sari, V. N. (2022). The effectiveness of storytelling method to increase language development in early childhood. JED (Jurnal Etika Demokrasi, 7(3), 461–471. https://doi.org/10.26618/jed.v7i3.8140

Rahmadani, S., Rahma, R., & Rizki, S. (2026). Improving the language skills of children aged 5–6 years through storytelling activities using hand puppet media. Catharsis, 15(1).

Rahmawati, L., & Zulfiana, D. (2025). Storytelling through paper puppets to enhance early childhood language development. Mentari: Journal of Islamic Primary School, 3(2), 167–173.

Santrock, J. W. (2011). Child development. McGraw-Hill.

Solichah, N., & Hidayah, R. (2022). Digital storytelling untuk kemampuan bahasa anak. JIP (Jurnal Intervensi Psikologi), 14(2), 129–140. https://doi.org/10.20885/intervensipsikologi.vol14.iss2.art5

Suggate, S. P., Lenhart, J., Vaahtoranta, E., & Lenhard, W. (2021). Interactive elaborative storytelling fosters vocabulary in pre-schoolers compared to repeated-reading and phonemic awareness interventions. Cognitive Development, 57, 100996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100996

Sumartiningsih, I. (2024). Storytelling method using hand puppet media: Cognitive development of children aged 4–6 years. Journal of Education Technology and Innovation, 7(2).

Suyadi. (2010). Psikologi belajar pendidikan anak usia dini. Pedagogia.

Tarigan, H. G. (2019). Menyimak sebagai suatu keterampilan berbahasa. Angkasa.

Towson, J. A., Fettig, A., Fleury, V. P., & Abarca, D. L. (2017). Dialogic reading in early childhood settings: A summary of the evidence base. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 37(3), 132–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121417724875

Vaahtoranta, E., Lenhart, J., Suggate, S., & Lenhard, W. (2019). Interactive elaborative storytelling: Engaging children as storytellers to foster vocabulary. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1534. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01534

Published

2026-09-04

How to Cite

Irma Nur Meiliawati, Yon A.E, & Fitrah Mulyanti. (2026). Improving Early Childhood Storytelling Skills Through Hand Puppet Storytelling Activities. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Holistik (JIPH), 5(3), 389–404. https://doi.org/10.55927/jiph.v5i3.27

Issue

Section

Articles