Religious Character Development in Early Childhood through Asmaul Husna Memorization Using a Movement and Song Based Learning Method

Abstract

Religious character formation is a fundamental aspect of early childhood education, serving as the foundation for children's moral and spiritual development. However, introducing religious values to young children often presents challenges due to their limited attention span and memory capacity. Therefore, engaging instructional methods that align with children's developmental characteristics are essential. This Community Service Program (PkM) aimed to enhance young children's memorization of Asmaul Husna while fostering their religious character through a movement-and-song approach at RA Chairunnisa. The participants were Kindergarten B children aged 5-6 years. The program was implemented through several stages, including preparation, instructional delivery, guided memorization of Asmaul Husna using movement and songs, and evaluation through observation and question-and-answer sessions. The results demonstrated that the children enthusiastically followed the movements and songs, actively participated throughout the activities, and showed significant improvement in memorizing Asmaul Husna. Furthermore, positive developments in religious character were observed, as reflected in increased discipline, politeness, self-confidence, and cooperation with peers. The movement-and-song method proved effective in creating an enjoyable learning environment while simultaneously supporting the integrated development of children's religious and moral values, language, cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional skills. Therefore, the movement-and-song approach can serve as an innovative and effective instructional strategy for fostering religious character in early childhood education.