Traditional Games as a Strategy for Physical Education Based on Local Wisdom for Primary School Teacher Education Students

Abstract

Traditional games have the potential to integrate motor skill development, character building, and local cultural understanding within Physical Education, Sports, and Health (PJOK). This study analyzed their potential as an instructional strategy grounded in local wisdom and their implications for students in Primary School Teacher Education (PGSD) programmes as prospective teachers. A qualitative narrative literature review was conducted using journal articles, academic books, and other relevant scholarly sources addressing traditional games, physical education, motor skills, and local wisdom. Analysis involved information selection, thematic categorization, comparison of findings, and synthesis. The review suggests that traditional games can offer opportunities to develop fundamental movement skills, coordination, and balance while encouraging cooperation, sportsmanship, and responsibility. For PGSD students, these games may also support the development of competencies in designing, implementing, and evaluating contextualized PJOK instruction. Implementation should consider learner characteristics, instructional objectives, safety, available facilities, and cultural diversity. The study concludes that traditional games represent a promising instructional strategy for integrating local wisdom into physical education, although their effectiveness requires evaluation within specific learning contexts. The synthesis provides guidance for preparing prospective primary school teachers to incorporate local cultural resources into physical education.