Jakarta, May 24, 2023 - SiDU is once again organizing the Ayo Menulis program. The Ayo Menulis program begins with a national writing competition with the theme "Indonesian Treasure". The activity runs until June 22, 2023, targeting students in grades 3, 4, and 5 of elementary schools throughout Indonesia with the aim of improving early childhood literacy.
In the era of distance learning, the habit of children writing on paper by hand is gradually eroding. They are more accustomed to typing on devices. However, handwriting is a fundamental skill that is very important in the process of a child's development and growth, especially for brain development and memory. This skill can even strengthen the development of other abilities.
A study published in the Journal of Psychological Science by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) stated that handwriting can enhance children's fine motor skills and improve their motor-perceptual skills. This has an impact on the faster development of children's literacy and numeracy. Writing by hand is actually more effective than typing on a keyboard or watching videos. This statement is the result of a study by Wiley & Rapp on June 29, 2021.
Dr. Sugiyanto, S.IP., as the Expert Staff of the Elementary Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, also emphasizes the importance of early handwriting. Besides being beneficial for brain development and children's skills, handwriting also has an impact on overall mental growth. Writing by hand not only helps them better understand information but also supports the development of their motor and social skills. "Currently, children prefer to use gadgets. I support early handwriting activities. It can train them to be more focused in terms of cognition. So, we can conclude that handwriting is a fun physical activity," he concluded.
Robert Vallet (1969) in the Embodied Cognitive Development (ECD) theory also emphasizes a similar point, that cognitive abilities originate from sensorimotor activities. When the hands work with writing tools, the brain follows along. Writing by hand becomes an effective way to make children more focused, creative, and sharpen their memory skills.
The post-pandemic period is a challenging time for elementary education worldwide. Changes in behavior patterns and disruptions to children's motor skills pose their own challenges. Reviving the habit of handwriting is one of the efforts undertaken by SiDU to help Generation Z sharpen their motor and cognitive skills.
The Ayo Menulis program is SiDU's initiative that has been running since 2017. In 2023, SiDU collaborates with CIA Magazine to realize an educational movement through training and writing competitions with the theme "Indonesian Treasure". This activity will be participated by 500 elementary schools spread across Jabodetabek, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Bali, and East Nusa Tenggara.
The target number of participants in the competition, which will run until June 2023, is 5,000. And 51 selected writings will be published in a book titled "Indonesian Treasure". This writing activity is planned to be recorded in the MURI Record as the Largest Participant in the National Handwriting Competition.
The kick-off event held at SDN Benhil 05 Pagi, Jakarta, was attended by Dr. Sugiyanto, S.IP., as the Expert Staff of the Elementary Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, and Shahnaz Haque. The winners of the competition will be announced on National Children's Day, July 23, 2023, with prizes in the form of education funds and certificates of appreciation.
Adi Kurniawan, Domestic Business Head of Stationery Business at Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas said, "We strongly support the government's efforts to improve literacy, especially early writing skills. We believe that handwriting is an important and fundamental skill that children should master. In addition to providing products, SiDU is committed to organizing various training activities and writing competitions with the aim of making handwriting a fun activity."
This program supports the government's initiative to enhance the literacy and numeracy skills of Indonesian children.
Stefanie Augustin, the founder of CIA Magazine, added that reading and writing by hand are fundamental rights of children and effective ways to develop other important abilities.
In an effort to revive children's interest in handwriting, Shahnaz Haque, an artist and family education observer, believes that handwriting is not only beneficial for brain development but also plays a crucial role in maintaining the mental health of Generation Z children.
However, reviving the habit of handwriting is certainly not an easy task. As expressed by Siti Badriyah, the Head of SD Negeri Benhil 05 Pagi in Central Jakarta, the biggest challenge lies with the teachers. "After two years of the pandemic, teachers have to work extra hard to reintroduce children to handwriting. Nevertheless, all these efforts are made with great hope to advance literacy among students," she expressed.
Additional Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/the-athletes-way/202107/why-does-writing-hand-promote-better-and-faster-learning
Contact info:
Tiffany Theresia
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Majalah CIA
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