Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Jurnal Almurtaja: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Anak Usia Dini

Social-emotional development is one of the most important aspects of early childhood education, as it plays a crucial role in shaping children's ability to interact with others, regulate emotions, adapt to their environment, and build positive social relationships. Understanding the theoretical foundations of social-emotional development is essential for designing appropriate educational practices and developmental stimulation that align with children's developmental characteristics. This study aims to analyze and examine the major theoretical foundations of early childhood social-emotional development and to explain their relevance and implementation in supporting children's holistic growth and education. The study employed a qualitative descriptive approach through a literature review method. Data were collected and analyzed from 30 scholarly articles related to early childhood social-emotional development. The findings revealed that Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory, Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, and Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory are the primary theoretical foundations explaining social-emotional development in early childhood. Furthermore, the study found that play activities, traditional games, storytelling, as well as support from families and teachers play significant roles in fostering children's social-emotional competencies. The study concludes that early childhood social-emotional development is influenced by the interaction between individual factors and the social environment. Therefore, the implementation of social-emotional development theories should be integrated into educational and parenting practices to promote children's holistic development. 

This study aims to describe the stimulation of prosocial behavior in early childhood through the traditional congklak game. Early childhood is considered the golden age, a critical period that plays an important role in shaping children's future development. Despite its importance, various studies indicate that Indonesian children still face challenges in social-emotional development, which are further exacerbated by the dominance of individualistic digital games. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. The research subjects consisted of four early childhood children living in Rajabasa Lama Village, RT 04 RW 01. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews, and documentation. The findings revealed that the traditional congklak game effectively stimulated children's prosocial behavior, including patience in waiting for turns, honesty in following game rules, and sportsmanship in accepting defeat. In addition, the game encouraged positive social interactions among children. The study concludes that the traditional congklak game is an effective learning medium for stimulating prosocial behavior and fostering character development through direct social interaction during play activities.

Perkembangan perilaku sosial dan empati merupakan aspek penting dalam perkembangan sosial emosional anak usia dini karena berperan dalam membentuk kemampuan anak untuk berinteraksi, bekerja sama, memahami perasaan orang lain, dan menunjukkan perilaku prososial. Namun, perkembangan perilaku sosial dan empati anak dipengaruhi oleh berbagai faktor, seperti pola pengasuhan, metode pembelajaran, interaksi sosial, dan lingkungan sekitar. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana perkembangan perilaku sosial dan empati anak usia dini ditinjau dari berbagai metode pembelajaran, pola pengasuhan, interaksi sosial, serta faktor lingkungan yang berperan dalam mendukung perkembangan sosial emosional anak. Penelitian menggunakan metode studi literatur dengan menganalisis 30 artikel ilmiah yang relevan mengenai perilaku sosial dan empati anak usia dini. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa interaksi sosial, pola asuh orang tua, storytelling, bermain dan bermain peran, serta pendidikan karakter dan pembiasaan sosial merupakan faktor yang berperan penting dalam mengembangkan perilaku sosial dan empati anak. Temuan penelitian juga menunjukkan bahwa lingkungan yang positif dan stimulasi yang tepat dapat membantu anak mengembangkan sikap peduli, kerja sama, toleransi, dan kemampuan memahami perasaan orang lain. Dengan demikian, pengembangan perilaku sosial dan empati anak usia dini memerlukan sinergi antara keluarga, sekolah, dan lingkungan sosial untuk mencapai perkembangan sosial emosional yang optimal.

The learning environment and teaching methods have a significant impact on early childhood development. In practice, learning methods in kindergarten are still considered inadequate for the characteristics of child growth. The purpose of this study was to examine the learning environment and teaching practices at An-Nur Kindergarten through the lens of child development theory. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. The results showed that the learning environment at An-Nur Kindergarten was very good, with clean classroom facilities, a calm learning atmosphere, and positive interactions between teachers and students. However, the learning methods applied still tended to be simple and dominated by writing activities on the blackboard so that children's active participation in the learning process had not developed optimally. According to Jean Piaget's cognitive development hypothesis, early infancy is in the preoperational stage, which means that more concrete experiences, play activities, and exploratory learning are needed. Furthermore, Lev Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Growth theory highlights the need for social contact, support (scaffolding), and active teacher participation in encouraging child growth. This study concluded that the learning environment at An-Nur Kindergarten has supported the learning process; However, more diverse, interactive learning methods that are appropriate to the developmental needs of early childhood need to be developed so that the learning process becomes more effective and meaningful.

The phenomenon of young children still experiencing difficulty maintaining postural stability and focusing attention during learning demonstrates the urgency of studying the relationship between postural control maturity and attention and learning readiness. This study aims to examine and synthesize literature on the relationship between postural control maturity and attention and learning readiness in young children. The findings of this study found that motor skills, particularly balance, which is part of postural control maturity, are positively related to attention and cognitive abilities that support learning readiness in young children. Other research findings revealed that increased postural demands do not impair cognitive performance, but a stable postural condition further supports children's attention and learning readiness. This study enriches the literature review by integrating postural control maturity, attention, and learning readiness in young children, which are still rarely studied together

Keywords: Postural Control,  Attention, Children's Academics, early childhood

Emotional development is a crucial aspect of early childhood development because it influences a child's ability to control feelings, interact socially, and adapt to their environment. Various factors, such as parenting styles, family environment, teacher roles, and learning experiences, can influence a child's emotional development. This study aims to comprehensively analyze and synthesize various previous research findings on early childhood emotional development to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence children's emotional development and its implications for the education and parenting process. The method used was a literature review, analyzing 30 relevant scientific articles on early childhood emotional development. Data were analyzed through a process of identifying, grouping, and synthesizing findings from various published studies. The results show that parental parenting styles are the most dominant factor in early childhood emotional development. In addition, a harmonious family environment, the role of teachers in enjoyable learning, and positive social interactions also support children's emotional development. Conversely, lack of parental attention and verbal abuse can negatively impact children's emotional development. The results also indicate that emotional development is closely related to children's social skills. Thus, early childhood emotional development requires optimal support from family and school to enable children to develop into confident, independent individuals who can interact positively with their environment.

Moral development and positive discipline are important aspects of early childhood education as they serve as the foundation for character formation, social behavior, and children's ability to understand and apply values in their daily lives. However, the development of children's morality and discipline continues to face various challenges influenced by parenting styles, family environments, school settings, and social changes in society. This study aims to systematically review previous research on moral development and positive discipline in early childhood, analyze effective positive discipline strategies according to children's stages of moral development, and identify research gaps that can serve as a basis for future studies and educational practices in early childhood education. This study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method by analyzing 30 relevant scientific articles. Data were collected through the processes of identification, selection, analysis, and synthesis of articles that matched the research focus. The findings indicate that positive discipline is effective in fostering children's moral character through habituation, role modeling, positive communication, and reinforcement of desirable behaviors. Furthermore, parental and teacher role modeling, democratic parenting styles, and collaboration between families and schools were found to be crucial factors in supporting children's moral development and positive discipline. The review also revealed that studies examining the influence of digital technology and family-school collaboration models on children's moral development remain limited. Therefore, the consistent and collaborative implementation of positive discipline can serve as an effective strategy for promoting moral development and character building in early childhood.