The Effectiveness of Rhythmic Cheerful Gymnastics in Improving Gross Motor Skills in Children with Intellectual Disabilities

• Karrinia Sindy Ayu Widianti

  Universitas Negeri Malang

• Sela Alfina Najaeta

  Universitas Negeri Malang

Children with intellectual disabilities have cognitive limitations that affect their gross motor abilities, such as balance, coordination, and physical strength. Rhythmic cheerful gymnastics is a form of exercise that involves structured body movements performed to musical rhythms to develop gross motor skills. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of rhythmic cheerful gymnastics accompanied by songs in improving gross motor skills in children with intellectual disabilities using the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. Literature sources were obtained from various databases, including Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, Research Rabbit, and Publish or Perish, using the keyword “effectiveness of cheerful gymnastics in improving gross motor skills of children with intellectual disabilities.” Of the 14 articles found, 5 relevant studies were identified, analyzed, and systematically interpreted. The findings indicate that rhythmic cheerful gymnastics significantly improves the gross motor skills of children with intellectual disabilities, including enhancements in coordination, balance, muscle strength, and self-confidence. Therefore, rhythmic cheerful gymnastics has been proven effective and can be implemented as a physical intervention in adaptive physical education for children with intellectual disabilities in special schools (SLB).

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