The Center of Life-Span Development (CLSD), Faculty of Psychology UGM, is developing environmental-themed storybooks for early childhood as a community empowerment initiative to strengthen literacy and foster eco-friendly habits from an early age. The program builds on insights from The Reading Buddies (TRB) initiative, which shows that children aged 4–6 are highly responsive to interactive stories, yet access to reading materials specifically addressing waste management and environmental themes remains limited.
The program is rooted in three key issues: low reading culture among young children, limited availability of age-appropriate educational storybooks, and low environmental awareness in the community. Amid high national waste generation and a substantial proportion of unmanaged waste, introducing the concepts of reduce, reuse, recycle, replace, and replant (5R) at an early age is considered strategic for instilling environmental stewardship as part of character education. CLSD positions picture storybooks as an effective medium—visually engaging and aligned with how 4–6-year-olds learn—to integrate literacy and environmental education in a joyful, developmentally appropriate way.
The initiative aims to produce two draft storybooks on waste and the environment that are content-valid, easy for children to understand, and ready for use in shared reading activities. The books are prepared as learning resources for children aged 4–6 and as practical guides for parents and teachers to cultivate reading habits and eco-friendly behavior. In addition, the program seeks to build the capacity of community partners to use the books as tools to stimulate children’s knowledge and attitudes toward the environment.
Implementation runs in two stages. The development stage covers blueprinting themes, drafting manuscripts through internal/external competitions guided by child development–informed writing standards, designing illustrations aligned with the storyline, and conducting content validation by the research team, child psychologists, children’s book authors, and environmental experts. The next stage is pilot testing through Interactive Shared Read-Aloud sessions—adopted from TRB—featuring structured observation of attention, engagement, and comprehension, followed by simple reflections to connect story messages with children’s daily experiences. Findings from the pilot inform revisions before broader implementation, limited printing, and preparation of a digital format.
The program is led by Sutarimah Ampuni, S.Psi., M.Si., M.Psych., Ph.D., Psychologist (Team Lead), with faculty members Aisha Sekar Lazuardini Rachmanie, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psychologist, and Edilburga Wulan Saptandari, S.Psi., M.Psi., Ph.D., Psychologist. Undergraduate and graduate students from CLSD are involved as readers, co-readers, observers, and documenters. The initiative is supported by the 2025 Faculty of Psychology UGM Community Service Grant. Collaboration with community partners—TNI AL, BIAS, and PAUD Roemah Kita—includes providing participants for pilot sessions, implementation venues, and support for book distribution. Activities are scheduled from March to October 2025, covering literature review and conceptualization, manuscript and illustration development, expert validation, pilot testing, evaluation, finalization, and implementation with partners.
Expected outputs include two draft storybooks on waste management and environmental awareness ready for wider reproduction and subsequent intellectual property registration (HAKI), as well as a popular article publication. In terms of impact, the program aims to strengthen early childhood reading culture, improve children’s knowledge and attitudes toward the 5R, and cultivate consistent small habits such as sorting waste, reducing single-use plastics, and keeping the environment clean. For parents and teachers, the books serve as practical guides to create dialogic, reflective reading interactions. For communities, validated and easily replicable materials help expand the reach of environmental education in a sustainable manner.
By using storybooks as a bridge between literacy and environmental values, UGM Psychology through CLSD seeks to deliver interventions that are practical, enjoyable, and evidence-informed—contributing to a learning ecosystem that nurtures critical young readers and responsible environmental citizens from an early age.
Writer: Raden Roro Anisa Anggi Dinda