JOURNAL SPORT AREA
Vol 10 No 2 (2025): August

Enhancing multi-skill development in 6-7-year-olds through the “Crocodile River,” “Socorro,” and “Meo Duoi Chuot” games in the kids’ athletics level 1 program




Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jul 2025

Abstract

Background: The decline in children’s physical activity in Papua poses a serious concern, particularly due to its negative impact on health and motor skill development. Limited multi-skill proficiency among young children contributes to reduced engagement in physical activities. Despite global efforts to promote physical literacy, few interventions have focused on culturally relevant and age-appropriate activities to improve multi-skills in early childhood, especially in underserved regions like Papua. Research Objectives: This study aimed to improve the multi-skill development of 6-7-year-old elementary school students through the implementation of the Kids’ Athletics Level 1 program, incorporating locally adapted games such as “Crocodile River,” “Socorro,” and “Meo Duoi Chuot.” Methods: A quasi-experimental design using a one-group pretest-posttest approach was employed. A total of 50 students aged 6-7 years were selected via purposive sampling. The Indonesian Physical Fitness Test was used to assess outcomes, including sit-and-reach, one-leg standing balance, tennis ball catch-and-throw, shuttle run, and an 800-meter run. Paired-sample t-tests were conducted to evaluate differences between pretest and posttest scores. Findings/Results: The analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in students’ multi-skill performance (p < 0.05). The findings support the integration of the Kids' Athletics program into school curricula as an effective strategy to enhance motor competence in early childhood. Conclusion: The Kids’ Athletics Level 1 model, enriched with culturally adapted games, proves effective in developing fundamental multi-skills in young children. Physical Education teachers are encouraged to adopt this model alongside other programs to optimize physical development in early learners, particularly those in low-activity regions such as Papua.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JSP

Publisher

Subject

Other

Description

Sport Area publishes research journals and critical analysis studies in the areas of Sport Education, Sports Coaching and Sports Science. The theme of the paper covers: Learning Physical Education and Sport, Sport Pedagogy, Sports Sociology, Sport Psychology, Sports Coaching, Sports Science, Sports ...