Abstract:

English is an international language widely used by almost all countries in the world. It is a global and scientific language, therefore children need to master the act of speaking this language from an early age. However, the mastery of English is still a problem for Indonesian children, especially those in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, due to the frequent use of their local language. In Indonesia, there are various kinds of tribes and cultures, one of which is Banjar, which has a unique dialect. Therefore, a special strategy for teaching children English at an early age is required. The cultural approach and games associated with early childhood are very important learning strategies to improve English skills and abilities. One of such cultures in South Kalimantan is the game of "DAMPRAK". Through this game, children learn and play. It also transfers the Banjar culture, create Development Attitude, Motivation, Performance and Kinesthetic in English learning. This study, therefore, aims to develop English skills using the Banjar culture-based game "DAMPRAK". This is a qualitative research that uses the three (3) cycles of Classroom Action approach. The subjects of the study are children of earlychildhood Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM), with data qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. The results showed that an increase in children's English skills in Development Attitude, Motivation, Performance and Kinesthetic through the game of "DAMPRAK", significantly increased their ability to introduce the vocabulary from the first, second and third cycles by 40%, 66.6% and 86.6 %. In mastering the number of symbols in the first, second and third cycles by 53.3%, 73.3% and 93.3%. And in mastering shapes and colours by 33.3%, 60% and 80%, in the first, second and third cycles, respectively. Therefore, the implementation of learning English through the Banjar culture-based game "DAMPRAK" helps to develop children's language skills. The results of this study can be used as an alternative in choosing models and games for learning English.

Keywords:

English language learning, Banjar culture-based game "DAMPRAK", early childhood education programs.