JOYCED Journal Of Early Childhood Education E-ISSN: 2798-0294 | P-ISSN: 2798-0359 JOYCED, Vol. 2(1), June 2022 (50-59) DOI: 10.14421/joyced.2022.21-05 50 Improving Cognitive Ability Through Educational Games in Early Childhood Novita Loka 1 , Raden Rachmy Diana 2 Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta 1 Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta 2 nlokastg@gmail.com 1 raden.diana@uin-suka.ac.id 2 Received: 4 June 2022 Reviewed: 11 June 2022 Accepted: 27 June 2022 Abstract This research was carried out to provide knowledge or choices to parents and teachers or educators that cognitive development can be improved through playing educational games. This research is qualitative descriptive research. With data collection techniques of observation, interviews, and documentation. The subjects of the research were the children of class B Maria Al-Qibty Islamic Kindergarten Al-Ittifaqiah Indralaya Ogan Ilir South Sumatra, amounting to 20 people. The results showed that there was an increase in children's cognitive abilities through educational games. This is evidenced by the increased cognitive abilities of children with the application of educational games, such as being able to classify differences according to type and color, comparing shapes around them, understanding various number concepts, distinguishing large and small, long and short, time, space, and so on. able to make good pictures or designs. Keywords: Cognitive Ability, Educational Games, Early Childhood Introduction Children are a deposit from the Almighty to their parents. Children experience a period of very fast growth (Noor, 2019). At an early age, children experience mental and character formation, namely at the age of 0-5 years (Wiwik Pratiwi, 2017). This period is also called the golden age or golden age (Rahelly, 2018). To develop various aspects of children's development such as religious and moral values, physical motoric, social-emotional and language, and children's arts, education for the child, both formal and non-formal, is needed (Wardati et al., 2019). Every child has potential that needs to be explored through the educational process. Children are individuals who are born by nature (Hidayat & Asyafah, 2019). This is to the words of the Prophet Muhammad, namely "Every baby is born based on fitnah, then it is his parents who make him a Jew, Christian, or Magian." (HR. Muttafaq Alaih). From the hadith above, it is clear that children have potential or nature in themselves. However, the influence that he is a Jew, Christian, or Jew is his parents. This means that parents have an important role in every child's development (Ginting & Ichsan, 2021). This is also closely related to the potential brought by children. This potential or ability or nature must be developed properly. And the potential or nature of each child is different, some have more value