use all their senses, which helps strengthen neural
development. This approach is beneficial for children
with communication and language difficulties, as it
involves various sensory modalities that can
strengthen neural connections and improve learning
outcomes (Tubele, 2023). Providing appropriate
stimulation will support optimal cognitive, motor,
social-emotional, and language development in
children. One way to provide this stimulation is
through learning media designed according to the
child's developmental stage.
Learning media in the context of early childhood
must be able to involve various senses
simultaneously. Concrete and interactive media have
been proven to be more effective in building
children's understanding. Tactile media in early
childhood education includes various activities that
stimulate the sense of touch, such as touch through
massage, exploration of various textures, to
experiences related to body awareness
(proprioception) (Roziah, 2019). These activities
have an important role in supporting children's
psychomotor development and contribute to
improving cognitive abilities and social emotional
aspects and can improve children's neuromotor,
cognitive, and socio-affective development
(Camacaro, 2013). The importance of integrating
tactile experiences into educational activities, as a
means to build warmer communication and emotional
connections between educators and children. This
approach is considered capable of encouraging
comprehensive or holistic development in the early
childhood learning environment.
One innovative learning medium that supports
multisensory stimulation is tactile carpet, an
interactive carpet with a variety of textures and
surfaces specifically designed for children to explore.
Play environments designed with smooth textures,
both soft and hard, better support the duration of early
childhood play activities, and varied play surfaces
create a more engaging play environment and support
children's exploration (Zahra et al., 2019). In reality,
not all children have the opportunity to interact
directly with various natural textures such as grass
and rocks. Many parents in urban areas are very busy
working, so they rarely have time to play with their
children. Furthermore, the limited availability of
green open spaces in urban areas (PUPR, 2020) is a
challenge in itself, so children miss the opportunity to
experience the diversity of environmental textures
directly. In this context, tactile carpet can be a
practical and educational alternative solution. By
presenting textures that resemble real environments,
tactile carpets allow children to explore the sensation
of touching various surfaces without having to go to
a specific location. This approach aligns with the
concept of a simulated natural environment (Chawla,
2015), where natural elements are replicated in the
learning space to provide a multisensory experience
that benefits children's cognitive, motor, and
language development.
Interaction with various textures such as rough,
smooth, or springy on tactile carpets helps enrich
children's sensory experiences (Moreno, 2015). This
type of multisensory stimulation plays an important
role in strengthening sensorimotor nerve connections
in the brain, which support movement coordination,
perception, and responses to environmental stimuli
(Case-Smith & O’Brien, 2015). Tactile carpets not
only stimulate the sense of touch but can also be a
means of introducing real-world concepts, such as
animals. This learning activity can be enriched with a
game of finding animals among the many toys
scattered on the carpet's surface. This game combines
aspects of tactile exploration with visual search, thus
encouraging children to connect sensory information
(texture) with cognitive information (types of
animals). According to Zahra et al (2019), a learning
process that combines direct experience, exploration,
and reflection will strengthen conceptual
understanding as well as fine motor skills. In addition,
the activity of finding animals also trains focus,
concentration, and problem-solving skills, because
children must distinguish relevant toys (animals)
from inappropriate objects. According to Tūbele
(2023), play activities that involve sorting and
classifying objects according to certain categories can
develop logical thinking skills in early childhood.
Through the 5W + 1H approach (What, Who,
When, Where, Why, How), tactile carpets are
developed as educational and fun play-learning
media, which not only meet the needs of early
childhood sensory development but also support
contextual thematic learning. Toys that combine
visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli increase the
interest and engagement of children aged 3–6 years.
Integrated tactile stimulation also helps children build
descriptive vocabulary and understanding of objects
based on tactile sensations (Fan et al., 2024).
However, currently there are still many early
childhood children who do not have access to
learning media that are appropriate to their needs and
developmental stages. Therefore, this research is
important to develop innovative learning media based
on tactile carpets as an alternative solution that can be
integrated into the learning process in early childhood
environments.