Early childhood education in Malaysia has been introduced since the 1950s.

However, at that time, early childhood education was only accessible to a select group of elites and the middle class.

Starting in the 1960s, that was when early childhood education for children began to develop comprehensively, including those with disabilities.

These skills form the foundation for children to enter higher levels of education. Proficiency in gross motor skills is a crucial skill that needs to be mastered as early as in kindergarten. (Rohani Abdullah, 2001)

Gross motor skills involve large movements, such as movements of the arms, legs, or the entire body. In such movements, we observe coordination occurring between gross motor skills. (According to Singer, 1980).

Motor development is the progression of movements and coordination, requiring an individual to utilize muscle strength, position control, balance, and self-perception skills

This may lead children with weak gross motor skills to face difficulties in keeping up with teaching and learning at the kindergarten level.

Gross motor skills are crucial for the early growth of children. These skills involve large muscle groups such as limbs, arms, legs, or the entire body, enabling functioning. (Rohani Abdullah, 2010). Slow development of coordination is one of the issues in motor movement.

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A child's desire to move and explore the environment serves as an early stimulus for gross motor movement. When children encounter difficulties in responding to stimuli like this, we become aware that they have challenges in their gross motor development.

Among the physical activities that can enhance these skills include walking, running, skipping, and catching a ball. In the middle and later stages of childhood, children's motor skills become increasingly refined and sophisticated compared to the early stages of childhood. (Raymond Moore, Homegrown Kids, p.113)

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Children who can master gross motor skills well are in a more comfortable state compared to those who have not mastered these skills. (Ernie Suliana binti Md. Sharif, 2008)

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It is undeniable that children can enhance their gross motor skills during kindergarten, but various constraints and large class sizes make it somewhat challenging.

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This is because the guidance provided is carried out imperfectly. (According to Huttenlocher, 1994)

Human motor skills are divided into two types: gross motor skills and fine motor skills. An individual's motor development begins with the mastery of gross motor skills, followed by the mastery of fine motor skills. (Payne & Isaacs, 2017).

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Fine motor skills involve the use of small muscles to perform more specific movements (Dehghan et al., 2017). These skills entail the coordination of small muscle movements and sensory organs, such as the movement of fingers and eyes.

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Examples of fine motor skills include drawing, writing, coloring, and many more. On the other hand, for gross motor skills, it involves the use of larger muscles to generate force and strength in the body, hands, and legs (Ulrich, 2000; Hashim & Baharom, 2014).

Gross motor skills involve fundamental activities such as crawling, running, jumping, climbing, and so on. These skills develop optimally around the age of 7, but it depends on the amount of experience gained through practice and learning during childhood (Santos et al., 2016).

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Furthermore, a child's motor development is also influenced by factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, residential location, and socio-economic status (Adeyemi-Walker et al., 2018; Mahinderjit-Singh & Koh, 2018).

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Identifying the level of difference in recreational activities in enhancing gross motor development among children.

Examining the impact of recreational activities in detail on enhancing gross motor development among children.

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2. To what extent does the impact of recreational activities in enhancing gross motor development contribute to the improvement of gross motor skills among 4-5-year-old children in Kemas kindergartens?

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1. To what extent is the difference in recreational activities in enhancing gross motor development among 4-5-year-old children in Kemas kindergartens in the state of Selangor?

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LITERATURE REVIEW

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Theorists' Figures

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Findings from Other Researchers' Studies

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Printed Materials such as Books, Journals, Theses, and Websites

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Electronic Media Materials

Past Studies

Knowledge about child development can be divided into three basic categories.

This development is crucial for the child's movement or for effective interaction with their surrounding environment.

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The three categories in the physical development of children are:

Stability

Locomotion

Manipulation

LITERATURE REVIEW

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According to Wright and Sugden (1999) in the transition model, they associate individual maturity with the processes of learning and experience.

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According to Maier (1980) in Arasoo (1989), motor skills are the ability to produce a pattern of behavior related to a specific environment.

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According to Hopkins & Butterworth (1997), the motor control skills of children encompass gross motor skills.

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PAST STUDIES

According to a study conducted by Noor Hidayah Sabaruddin and Halijah Ibrahim in 2008, issues disrupting the developmental process of motor skills at the age of 5 in children can pose a risk to the interaction of these children becoming unstable due to an unbalanced social environment.

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According to Cooper (2010) in 'Knowledge and Understanding of the World,' fine motor skills are required by children to manipulate technical equipment, create, and measure.

Comptom's study (2010) also states that children require both fine and gross motor skills to engage in creative activities such as dancing, drama, and art.

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• Human development is influenced by maturity factors. Arnold Gesell states that individual development follows a predetermined timetable, a specific sequence, or a certain pattern.

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• According to Arnold Gesell's developmental theory, each individual undergoes unique development. Some individuals may experience early or delayed development, depending on the individual. For example, some children may start walking at nine months, while others may begin walking after one year.

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ARNOLD GESELL'S THEORY

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• Every child has varying intelligences, and each intelligence should be assessed equally and given equal weight. A child's intelligence can be enhanced through educational opportunities, such as providing an environment rich in materials and enjoyable activities.

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• This theory was introduced by Howard Gardner (1983), who explained that intelligence is the ability to solve problems or create products valued by a culture. To date, he has identified nine types of intelligences (Gardner in McKenzie, 1996). However, researchers choose only one intelligence related to gross motor skills, which is the Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence. (Mya Afifi IPG, Campus Dato' Razali Ismail, KT, Malaysia, 2009).

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HOWARD GARDNER'S THEORY

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• Penyelidik akan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif secara menyeluruh dalam kajian ini.
• Penyelidikan kualitatif menurut Creswell (1994) adalah sebagai satu proses inkuiri untuk memahami masalah sosial atau masalah manusia, berdasarkan gambaran menyeluruh dan kompleks melalui pandangan informan yang mendalam serta dijalankan dalam keadaan sebenar dan semulajadi. Menurut Punch (2003), pengumpulan data dalam penyelidikan kualitatif boleh berbentuk struktur dan separa struktur (fleksibel).
• Pendekatan analisis kualitatif adalah sangat kaya dengan huraian dan tafsiran keadaan, serta konteks masalah (Schostak, 2006).

PENDEKATAN KAJIAN

• Temubual
• Pemerhatian
• Analisis dokumen
• Ujian amali penyelidik

TEKNIK KAJIAN

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• Structured Parent Interview
• Teacher Checklist
• Survey Questionnaire

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Interview

• Video recording (3 times)
• Assessment (3 times)
• Direct observation

Observation

• Questionnaire
• Checklist
• Student Profile
• Lesson Plan Record (RPH)
• Student Photos

Data Analysis

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• Recreational Activities (3 times)

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Researcher's Practical Test

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VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

The researcher will first conduct a study to test the appropriateness of the prepared checklist to ensure the validity and reliability of the checklist items.

The validity and reliability are assessed based on the findings from the responses of the children. This involves careful and systematic scrutiny by the researcher.

The researcher will also utilize recording tools as evidence, such as checklist forms, observations, recordings, and photographs of children. These are used as evidence of the study's reliability.

Researchers must conduct their investigations in accordance with responsibilities, regulations, laws, agreements, and ethics.

Sentiasa Menjaga Rahsia Dokumen Kanak-kanak.

Researchers need to be honest in recording, reporting, and analyzing data.

Researchers must not disclose respondents' documents arbitrarily.

Researchers are also responsible for the tests conducted.

Analysis using Qualitative Methods

Researchers analyze systematically.

Researchers create a schedule.

Collecting all data and making copies of the collected data.

Descriptive statistics are used to calculate the minimum score and percentage of the study.

OBSERVATION

Video recording (3 times)

Assessment (3 times)

Direct observation

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Data Analysis

1. Questionnaire

Checklist

Student Profile

Lesson Plan Record (RPH)

Student Photos

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INTERVIEW

Structured Parent Interview

Teacher Checklist

Survey Questionnaire

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Researcher's Practical Test

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Recreational Activities (3 times)

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