SILENT CALISTUNG PEDAGOGY: PLAY-BASED LITERACY AND NUMERACY STRATEGIES FOR SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S TRANSITION FROM KINDERGARTEN TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Kata Kunci:
game-based learning, early literacy and numeracy readiness, silent calistung pedagogy, kindergarten–primary transition, early childhood educationAbstrak
Early literacy and numeracy readiness (calistung) have become a critical issue in children’s transition from kindergarten to elementary school, particularly amid regulatory frameworks that normatively prohibit formal instruction in literacy and numeracy at the kindergarten level. This article aims to examine how play-based pedagogical strategies are implemented by kindergarten teachers to foster children’s early literacy and numeracy readiness, as well as how such readiness is perceived by elementary school teachers during the initial transition phase. This study adopts a qualitative approach using a case study design conducted at Mawar Budi Harjowinangun Kindergarten 1 and 2 in Dempet District, Demak Regency. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with four kindergarten teachers, two early-grade elementary school teachers, and two parents, complemented by participatory observation and analysis of instructional documents. The findings reveal that kindergarten teachers developed play-based literacy and numeracy strategies through symbolic, narrative, kinesthetic, and contextual activities embedded in daily learning routines without violating formal regulations. These practices give rise to what this article conceptualizes as silent calistung pedagogy, namely an implicit, enjoyable, and experience-centered process of literacy and numeracy internalization. The study further shows that graduates of Mawar Budi Kindergarten were perceived by elementary school teachers as possessing functional readiness in recognizing letters, numbers, patterns, and classroom instructions, despite not being trained through mechanistic drills. Elementary school teachers viewed this form of readiness as a significant adaptive asset that reduces learning anxiety and accelerates academic adjustment in the early grades. Theoretically, this study extends the discourse on school readiness by emphasizing implicit, play-based pedagogy as a critical bridge in the early childhood–primary school transition. Practically, the findings offer an alternative framework for educational policy and practice that balances regulatory compliance with children’s developmental readiness needs. This article contributes to the development of a more humanistic, contextual, and sustainable model of early childhood educational transition
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