Potensi Board Game Berbasis Role-Play sebagai Media Pembelajaran Sosial-Emosional pada Anak Usia Dini: Kajian Literatur

Abstract

Empathy is a fundamental aspect of early childhood social-emotional development that plays a crucial role in shaping prosocial behavior. However, current teaching approaches in early childhood education settings tend to be verbal and instructional, making them less effective at facilitating concrete social experiences for children. This literature review aims to analyze the potential of role-play based board games as an effective social-emotional learning medium for children aged 5-6 years. The method used is a systematic literature review of relevant studies from various primary sources, covering theories of child development, empathy, social-emotional learning (SEL), role-play, board games, and principles of visual communication design. The study findings indicate that role-play-based board games have great potential to stimulate empathy and prosocial behavior in young children through structured social simulations, face-to-face interactions, and role-playing mechanisms. An appropriate visual communication design approach including expressive character illustrations, a bright color palette, and an intuitive layout also plays a role in enhancing children’s engagement in the play process. This study identifies a gap in the availability of locally developed empathy-based board games that are culturally appropriate for Indonesia, while also providing a conceptual foundation for the development of interactive, game-based learning media for young children.