Traditional Games: A Powerful Tool to Strengthen Social Skills in Early Childhood
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17066579Keywords:
play, social skills, child developmentAbstract
This research analyzes the influence of traditional games on the development of social skills in five-year-old children at an educational institution, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which promotes inclusive and quality education from early childhood. The relevance of the study lies in demonstrating how traditional play experiences strengthen interaction, empathy, and communication in preschool. The overall objective was to determine the influence of traditional games on the development of social skills. The research was framed within an applied study, with a quantitative approach and pre-experimental design. The sample consisted of 23 five-year-old children, and the data collection instrument was a structured observation guide with 16 items, organized on a Likert-type ordinal scale. The results showed significant improvements after the intervention. Before the program, no child reached the high level of development in the dimensions observed; however, after the 15 sessions of traditional games, notable progress was recorded. The Student's t-test yielded a p-value of 0.000, confirming that the differences observed were statistically significant. It is concluded that traditional games are an effective pedagogical strategy for strengthening social skills in childhood by promoting teamwork, mutual respect, and active participation in meaningful educational contexts.
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