The Utilization of Recycled Materials as Learning Media to Foster Creativity among Early Childhood Learners at TK PKK Melati, Maron District, Probolinggo

Abstract

Creativity is a fundamental aspect of early childhood development. However, it is frequently neglegted in practice due to conventional, teacher-centered instructional methods. This study aimed to describe the utilization of recycled materials as learning medium to enhance early childhood creativity. A qualitative-descriptive approach was employed, conducted at TK PKK Melati, Maron Distric, Probolinggo, involving one classroom teacher and18 students from group B. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation, and analyzed using Miles and Huberman model, encompassing data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveale that recycled materials—such as cardboard, plastic bottles, used paper, bottle caps, and scrap metal—serves as engaging, creative, and easily accessible learning media. This learning activities provided children with the opportunitiy to explore ideas, exersice their imagination, and produce oridinal work according to their individual creative capacity. Observational data indicated that the majority of students reached the “Developing as Expected” (BSH) category (53.3%) and the “Very Well Developed” (BSB) category (33.3%), while 13.4% were in the “Beginning to Develop” (MB) category; no students remained in the “Not Yet Developed” (BB) category. These findings demonstrate that the use of recycled materials effectively enhances children’s creativity, characterized by diverse artifact production, the courage to experiment with various materials, and task perseverance. Furthermore, this approach promotes fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities, and environmental awareness. Consequently, recycled materials offer an effective, economical, and practical pedagogical alternative for fostering creativity in early childhood education.