Bandung, January 31, 2023
Reading and counting box is a product in the form of a tool produced by lecturers at the School of Industrial Engineering for their community service activities. The tool is centered on the importance of stimulation in early childhood. Children’s growth and development require specific attention, especially those who have speech delays.
Speech delay is a delay in the ability to speak and use the language that is experienced by some children. The condition results in their incapability to pronounce letters, words, and sentences causing major disruptions in their development and growth.
Given these circumstances, PAUDs (early childhood education) and kindergartens are required to optimize children’s intelligence before entering primary schools to enhance the provision of stimuli to young children. This goes hand in hand with the Emancipated Learning program for PAUD and kindergarten. Teachers must use fun approaches to stimulate students.
The presence of reading and counting boxes, created using the design sprint approach, brings positive impacts to children who are taught on a regular basis. This product has been tested on PAUD and kindergarten students in the Arcamanik District of Bandung. The trials took place at Putra Kindergarten and Sarah Shabrina Kindergarten and attended by 60 teachers. Children are making improvements in speaking ability, identifying visuals, and imagining while making up stories.
The reading and counting box can be used both offline and online in the classroom. This tool is like a wooden block game that has letters and cards with pictures and words. The reading and counting box include 28 lowercase letters, 28 uppercase letters, and a set of picture cards.
Author: Aprilia Sekar N| Editor: Daris Maulana | Photo: Public Relations