Implementation of Messy Play to Improve Early Childhood’s Intrapersonal Intelligence

Abstract

Motor activity using coordinated movement of the body is one of the factors to improve cognitive development in children. However, children still need activities related to fine motor to balance the motor functions, one of them by playing. When children are playing, they often stop the game due to fear of dirty. Somehow, playing activities can stimulate the children motor development. This study aims to determine how the effect of messy play in improving children intrapersonal intelligence. This study used descriptive qualitative research method. The subjects of this study were 4 children aged 4 to 6 years old. The data collection techniques was observation. Messy play provided four activities to develop children intrapersonal intelligence such as moving water into the bottle with a sponge, seeking the appropriate object texture in a sandbox, moving objects according to the color into the box, and making finger painting. The results showed that two children were responsible to tidy up of their toys, three children were able to understand the rules of the game, two children did not finish the game because they did not want to be dirty, and all children were not able to control their playing time. It could be concluded that the activities of messy play could improve early childhood’s intrapersonal intelligence, although it still needed the guidance of parents and educators. Through messy play, children were not afraid of dirty and used to playing their surrounding objects.