Mathematical Playworld: An Imaginative Play-Based Approach to Developing Financial Literacy in Early Childhood Andrisyah, Ade Dwi Utami, Tjipto Sumadi
1) Department of Early Childhood Education
Universitas Negeri Jakarta_Jakarta, Indonesia
andrisyah[at]mhs.unj.ac.id
2) Ade Dwi Utami
Department of Early Childhood Education
Universitas Negeri Jakarta_Jakarta, Indonesia
ade.dwi.utami[at]gmail.com
3) Tjipto Sumadi
faculty of social sciences
Universitas Negeri Jakarta_Jakarta, Indonesia
tjiptosumadi[at]unj.ac.id
Abstract
Financial literacy in early childhood is increasingly recognized as a foundational competence for fostering responsible decision-making in later life. However, learning practices in early childhood education remain largely instructional and often fail to connect financial concepts with meaningful play-based experiences. This study aims to develop a conceptual framework of Mathematical Playworld as an imaginative play-based learning strategy to support the development of financial literacy in young children. The study employs a conceptual approach through the analysis and synthesis of relevant literature, including sociocultural theory, playworld pedagogy, early mathematical thinking, and financial literacy frameworks. The findings indicate that Mathematical Playworld can be structured into an Input-Process-Output model that integrates financial narrative contexts, symbolic artifacts, and teacher-mediated social interaction to promote children^s mathematical reasoning and simple financial decision-making. Through dramatized play scenarios such as buying and selling or saving activities, children are able to construct meaningful understanding of value, choice, and consequences. The implications of this study suggest that financial literacy learning can be naturally embedded within play-based activities without compromising the exploratory nature of early childhood education. This paper contributes to the field by proposing an innovative pedagogical framework that integrates imaginative play, mathematical reasoning, and financial literacy into a coherent early childhood learning strategy.
