The Effect of Traditional Baseball Games on Improving Manipulative Movement Skills Among Children Aged 6–7 Years

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of the traditional baseball game (bola kasti) on improving manipulative movement skills among children aged 6–7 years in Dusun Montong, Selat Village, Narmada District.

Materials and Methods: This study employed a pre-experimental method using a One Group Pretest–Posttest Design. The participants consisted of 15 children aged 6–7 years, including 11 boys and 4 girls, selected using a total sampling technique. The treatment was conducted through baseball game activities designed to stimulate manipulative movement abilities, including throwing, catching, and hitting skills. Data were collected using performance tests and documentation. The data analysis technique used a dependent t-test to examine differences between pre-test and post-test scores.

Results: The findings showed a significant improvement in children’s manipulative movement abilities after participating in baseball game activities. The average pre-test score increased from 40 to 64 in the post-test. Statistical analysis revealed that the calculated t-value was higher than the t-table value (14.32 > 1.76) at the 5% significance level. In addition, the percentage increase in manipulative movement ability reached 60%.

Conclusions: Traditional baseball games significantly improved manipulative movement skills among children aged 6–7 years. The activity effectively stimulated children’s motor coordination through throwing, catching, and hitting movements, making it an appropriate physical activity approach for early childhood motor development.