Language Games to Enhance Reading and Writing
Comperehension for Kindergarten Children
Isah Cahyani
Indonesian Education Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No. 229, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Language Game, Literacy, Early Childhood.
Abstract: Young children generally enjoy games and are content with their participation in a variety of activities.
Making something by themselves and feeling proud of their creation may boost their self-confidence. They
also learn from the praise or criticism by teachers, parents and other children about the work they made.
Language games can stimulate children’s motor nerves that allow to be creative without limits, form a
creative mindset, and facilitate language skills. This paper aims to delineate literacy development of 24
kindergarten students after participating in a language games such as drawing an apple, fish, worm, bucket,
and person. The game is designed to be attractive and suits the age of the children. The materials was made
as stress-free materials and does not demand children to always produce a good work. The study conducted
through surveys and interviews. The results showed that using games was effective to enhance student’s
reading and writing learning ability. By using language games, students also able to enjoy and learning
happily without pressure.
1 INTRODUCTION
Early childhood education is deemed as a place to
prepare children for school. Early Childhood
Education learning includes many interesting yet
educative activities, among others, playing by using
educative toys. Learning reading, writing, and
arithmetic is not allowed, except to the extent of
introducing letters and numbers, carried out after the
children enter level B. However, recent
developments indicate that early childhood
education outputs should possess the ability to read,
write, and count because parents are afraid that their
children are not able to follow the lessons in
elementary school unless they have good reading,
writing, and arithmetic skills beforehand.
To meet that need, finally many early childhood
education institutions facilitate learning how to read
and write for their students. They practice various
teaching methods in the hope that they can help
children master reading and writing skills before
they enter elementary school.
Based on the observation, in language learning
especially reading and writing, the methods
frequently used are spelling and dictating. These
methods are not suitable for children development in
those ages. Moreover, some argue that these
methods force the teacher’s will to the children, as if
the teachers were depriving children’s right of
playing.
Early Childhood Education age is the period of
linguistic creativity development (see also Brown,
1994; Vygotsky, 2004; Zaid, 2011; Cole and
Pelaprat, 2011) in which young children are fond of
rhymes, songs, and word games, and the success of
developing language competence in these stages
serve as the precursor for the success of their further
language and learning competences, both in their
first and second and even foreign languages. Every
group of children is trying to develop a distinctive
use of language. At this age, children still love to
play (Lindqvist, 2001; Christie and Wardle, 1992;
Frost, 1992; Cox, 1999). However, learning to read,
write, math, and science is not necessarily taboo for
young children. What is crucial is to reconstruct how
to learn the skills so that children are learning like
they are playing and their learning take various
forms of games. Therefore, appropriate techniques
and methods are called for to foster reading and
writing skills for early childhood education students
that are in accordance with their development stages
that is learning with playing, learning how to read
and write with language games.
638
Cahyani, I.
Language Games to Enhance Reading and Writing Comperehension for Kindergarten Children.
DOI: 10.5220/0007172406380643
In Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference
on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017) - Literacy, Culture, and Technology in Language Pedagogy and Use, pages 638-643
ISBN: 978-989-758-332-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

This paper aims are to explore the reading and
writing skills of early childhood students based on
their development tasks of language. Specific
objectives include describing the reading and writing
skills of early childhood education students in their
development of their reading and writing skills of
early childhood education students in the
development of their writing, and describing the
factors that determine the language development of
early childhood education students.
Written language in early childhood education is
introduced through integration with the development
of fine motor skills (such as drawing), for writing is
a continuation of drawing. In addition, written
language activities need to be linked directly with
spoken language activities (role playing, storytelling,
spontaneous brainstorming) and social interaction
(group or individual).
Introduction of written language should be done
through playing as a source of development and the
establishment of zones of proximal development
(ZPD) (Vigotsky, 1980). Thus, a process of
interaction of symbols, discovery, and self-
development in responding to others takes place
when children play. They also learn through the
process of doing and touching real objects.
Moreover, the introduction of written language
through play should be based on immersion,
demonstration, engagement, expectations,
responsibilities, approximation, use, and response. In
addition, it also must pay attention to the
development of child's writing. The principles of
development of children’s writing, according to
Brewer (1995), cover the principles of signs,
copying, flexibility, inventory, repeatability, and
stimulation. Some components necessary in reading-
writing among others are foundation of literacy,
literacy sensitivity, interest and involvement of
literacy, as well as the acquisition of productive-
receptive literacy.
The foundation of literacy serves as the basic
element that forms the basis for enhancing the
ability to read and write (Suherdi, 2012). This
includes eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills,
the ability to identify symbols, and the ability to
write meaning of a symbol. The introduction should
be given to children to solidify children's literacy
foundation so that children can appropriately
develop their productive and receptive written
language (Suherdi, 2012; Cummins, 1991).
Therefore, various stimuli are to be made to engage
children, which further stimulates their skills of
scribbling, making letters, combining letters,
recognizing letters, knowing words, their
pronunciations, and meanings.
Interest and involvement significantly facilitates
children to engage in literacy. Interesting ways are
required to make children interested and want to get
involved in literacy. For example, these include
games of own name symbol, idol, name of loved
ones, label names of play equipment, food labels,
shop signs, and stories.
Sensitivity to symbols can be honed with a
variety of language games such as a play to find
sounds, word card game, label cutting and label
comparing.
Receptive and productive written language is
acquirable by children through play. Reading
acquisition consists of several stages, namely (i)
differentiation stage (attentive to writing and
distinguish it from images, (ii) mock reading stage
(attentive to writing and discursive reading), (iii)
image reading stage, (iv) random reading stage, (v)
take-off stage (spelling, reading slowly without
tones), and (vi) independent stage. Acquisition of
writing is realized through such stages as scribble,
linear repetition, similar letters, random letters, early
spelling, phonetics, transition spelling, and
conventional spelling stage.
Language is a means to express one’s thoughts
and feelings. It serves as a tool of communication
among humans and a tool for thinking. Language
games is referring to children plays designed for the
development of language, especially the
development of early reading skills in children.
Children plays comprise:
1.1 Initial Letters Game (a, i, u, e, o)
The game is aimed to introduce initial letters such as
a, i, u, e, o through images of an apple, fish, worm,
bucket, and person.
1.2 Puzzle Letters Game (Aa - Zz)
Puzzle letters game is a game of introducing
alphabets from A to Z (uppercase and lowercase).
1.3 Assembling Letters into Words and
Names
Children assemble given letters to make a child's
name and name of an animal. The latter can be
supplied with images of animals.
Language Games to Enhance Reading and Writing Comperehension for Kindergarten Children
639

1.4 Syllable Game
It is a game of images and words cut outs. Children
try to combine the cut outs to make a complete
image and word. The word is the name of the image
in question.
1.5 Word Hunting Game
Teachers attach a number of words around the
school. They are taped to the wall, door, window,
playground, and etc. Children search for the words
that have been taped and then try to read them.
1.6 Connecting a Picture with a Word
Game
Teachers provide 1 (one) sheet of cardboard on
which initial letters of the names of objects, are
presented, then the teachers share pictures that come
with the names of objects. Children match the
pictures with the initial letters of the names of the
pictures.
1.7 Word Choice Game
Cards are provided with three choices of words.
Children choose the right words for the images
available on the card by placing clips on the correct
word.
1.8 Jump Name Game
Teachers write the names of the children in a circle
in the school yard. Children read to identify their
own name and names of their friends. They jump
from one circle to another while saying the names
written in a circle.
1.9 Sentence Assembling Game
Teachers prepare cards made up of several words,
then distribute them to children. After each child
gets one word, s/he is asked to find word pairs to
make a simple sentence.
2 RESEARCH METHODS
This study employed a survey method, which is
aimed to obtain immediate answers regarding the
literacy level of Indonesian of kindergarten students
based on language development tasks which include
the development of reading and writing. The
population of this study were kindergarten students
of Pustaka Ceria Lembang. The sample were 5-6
year-old students, randomly picked. This is in
accordance with the notion that sampling in survey
research needs to be randomly taken.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Based on observation and data analysis, the results
can be described as follows.
3.1 Reading Skills Profile
The research found that 45.8% of children (11
children) have rather poor reading skills, while
50.2% (13 children) have moderate reading skills.
Poor reading skills revolve around letter/alphabet
recognition. Their ability is only at the stage of
recognizing initial letters (a, i, u, e, o). In addition,
they still have not been able to follow the letter
puzzle game (Aa - Zz), assembling letters into words
and names, and syllables game. For example, while
M. Ikhsan could not read the letters well, Crisda
Wibawa was able to read the letters fluently, but still
lacking in assembling words and names. The
children who had difficulty reading could be
attributed to the amount of vocabulary the children
were unfamiliar with.
3.2 Writing Skills Profile
As regards writing skills, around 62% or 15 children
have low skills, thus deserve a lot of attention. Most
of them could simply scribble. They largely lacked
the skills of writing letters and drawing images. In
writing words, the children have not been able to
write complete words. M Akbar, for instance, wrote
words with many missing letters. In writing of
words, some children only drew lines. 38% or 9
children were able to imitate the writing, although it
was rather less neat. Haidar, for example, could
write fairly neatly but still spelled long words and
sometimes some letters were missing when writing
certain words, which affects his pace in writing.
3.3 Language Acquisition Profile
Altogether, of the 24 children under study, 20
children reached the operational stage. Children are
able to think logically about concrete objects and
some master words as symbols and concepts
embodied in the word. Almost half of the children
merely reached the preoperational stage in terms of
CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology
Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education
640

understanding the symbolic mind and have not been
able to think logically. In terms of language skills,
they demonstrate grammatical awareness, but were
only able to use grammatical sentences in initial
level.
Of all the students, 90% of which speak
Indonesian as a second language, their proficiency
of Indonesian is fairly good, especially the
development of their phonological skills and
vocabulary. This, most likely, is influenced by the
input from the environment, especially television.
Overall, they have acquired operational skills.
Pragmatically, the children on average are able to
use the language to tell about something they have
seen or experienced. With respect to language
development, what should receive a lot of attention
is the development of writing skills and the
development of semantic skills, especially in the
conceptual level that requires complex thinking.
3.4 Literacy Development with
Language Games
Based on the results of the test and observation,
children's literacy increased. This is indicated by the
fact that 20 children or 83% have been able to
achieve the stage of connecting pictures with
meanings. As many as 17 children, or 71% have
reached the stage of spelling, which indicates an
increase of literacy skills.
As for children language development, it
evolves according to their activeness in
kindergarten. Based on the interviews and house
visits, it is found that children's language
development develops largely in school because
children use their mother tongue at home. The
increase is mainly attributed to story-telling games.
Children are most pleased if the teacher tells stories.
They were actively competing to retell the stories.
4 DISCUSSIONS
During the period of school age and into adulthood,
individuals increase the number of vocabulary and
meanings of special terms. One generally studies
specific meanings in context. In such a process, one
reconstructs aspects of linguistic competence. The
resulting arrangement is reflected in the way one
uses words. As a result, use of figurative language or
creativity in speaking progresses quite rapidly. The
entire process of semantic development that begins
in the early years of primary school can be attributed
to the overall cognitive processes (Owens, 1992).
4.1 The Development of Reading
Like speaking, early reading skills may be obtained
through social interactions, not through formal
learning. In story-telling activities undertaken by the
parents, both parents and children participate in
social activities. Parents employ various techniques
to make their children focused, ask questions, and
encourage them to try to read.
Parents should introduce story books to children
as early as possible. Of course the kinds of books
used are those with many colorful pictures to garner
children’s attention. At the beginning, the children
may simply look at the drawings in the book.
However, as parents read the story next to the
drawings, they indirectly teach their children the
composition of the story.
In addition to reading activities, some television
shows are beneficial for the development of literacy.
For example, Sesame Street (in English) and "A Ba
Ta Tsa" (Arabic reading and writing Arabic by Neno
Warisman) offer activities in which children
indirectly study the writings that contain the
information they obtain.
There are several phases of development of
reading. In a pre-reading phase, which occurs at the
age of 6 years, children learn the differences of
numbers and letters, and later they get to know every
letter and every number. Most children can
recognize their names when written. Typically, by
learning from the environment, e.g. learning on the
signs and names of objects they see, the words they
know will gradually grow out of context and
eventually the children can recognize these words in
writing. Approximately 60% of children aged 3
years and 80% of those aged 4 and 5 years in the
United States recognize the word staff (Owens,
1992, p.400).
In phase-1, up to about second grade, children
focus on free words in a simple story. In order to
read, children need to know the system of writing,
how to read smoothly, free of reading errors.
Therefore, they should be able to integrate sounds
and writing systems. At the age of seven or eight,
most children have acquired knowledge of letters,
syllables and words required for reading. This
knowledge in most countries is acquired in school.
In phase 2, around third and fourth grade,
children can analyze words they do not know by
using writing patterns and conclusions they draw
from context. In phase 3, from fourth grade to
second grade of junior, rapid development in reading
emerges; that is, the focus of reading is no longer on
writing symbols but more on understanding. In the
4
th
phase, namely end of junior high school up to
high school, teens use high-level skills such as
inferences and identification of authors’ view to
Language Games to Enhance Reading and Writing Comperehension for Kindergarten Children
641

improve understanding. Finally, in phase 5, the
college level and beyond, adults can integrate things
they read with their existing knowledge and
critically examine reading material (Owens, 1992,
pp. 400-401).
4.2 The Development of Writing
There is a parallel between the development of
reading and writing skills. In general, a good writer
is a good reader, and vice versa. The process of
writing is close to drawing in that both represent
certain symbols. However, writing is different from
drawing, and it is known by a child when s/he is
about 3 years (Owens, 1992).
Children begin by drawing, scribble, then make
shapes. At first, school children learn to write, even
though they do not know names of the alphabets.
The words they are highly familiar such as their
name help them learn that different letters symbolize
different sounds.
Children try to use rules in writing by matching
sounds and writing. The sounds in the name of the
letter is matched to the sounds they hear. In the
beginning they only pay attention to the first letter of
each word, other letters receive less attention. This is
similar to the early stages of reading, in which case
children only pay attention to the first letter. In light
of this when children are faced with a story written
by using large fonts on the first word of each
paragraph, especially using striking colors, it will be
easier for them to differentiate letters from one
another. In other words, their readiness to read and
write will happen relatively quickly with without
burden. Later children write syllables, without
vowels and no space between. For example, "ball" is
written "bl" or "glass" is written "gls", and so on.
With the guidance of the teachers, children can
recognize the existing writing system.
Many spelling errors occur in the lower grades of
elementary schools that are phonological, namely in
the form of deletion, replacement, or addition of
phonemes, especially to sound clusters, and
replacement of the sound based on phonological
similarity (e.g. pawa replaces bawa). There may be
similarities between spelling errors and children’s
expressions. This needs to be further investigated.
Writing is not simply about spelling. Children
who are just learning to write often forget the need
to read. A 6 year-old pays less attention to the
format, writing distance, spelling, and punctuation.
If one aspect is prioritized, other aspects deteriorate.
For example, when children are taught to write Latin
alphabets (a switch from print writings to the Latin
alphabets), errors in spelling and sentence structure
predominate. Apart from these shortcomings, the
stories children write are often direct and simple yet
quite beautiful.
First and second graders (the lower grades of
elementary school) have not noticed readers since
they are egocentric. When they turn grade 3 or 4,
changes take place. They began to observe the
reaction of readers. They begin to revise and edit
their writings (Owens, 1992). This is influenced by
the syntactic knowledge they acquire. In general,
during the period of school age, the ability to
generate complete sentences rises both orally and in
writing. There is also an increase in the use of
complex and more varied phrases, clauses and
sentences.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Learning to read and write can be introduced to
students of early childhood education. It would be
more interesting if integrated with games. In the
process, reading and writing activities can be
combined with other learning activities that are
designed in the early childhood curriculum without
having to burden the children. Sometimes special
time or momentum is unnecessary to teach reading,
writing and counting. Children can learn how to read
through pictures, letters and words games. This is
evidenced by 20 children or 83% were able to read
and write. In addition, as many as 17 children, or
71% exhibited language development in line with
expectations.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This paper acknowledged the students in Universitas
Pendidikan Indonesia that has participated in data
collection in this study.
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Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education
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