A child’s understanding

Helpu plant i ddysgu a deall am eu hunain

A group of children in fancy dress

It is essential that childcare workers or parents/carers do not attempt to mould children into what they would like them to be. The children need to discover for themselves who they are and it is essential to respect their choices and decisions. By allowing children to identify their individual strengths, they can be empowered to discover themselves and the world around them.

Play helps children to feel good about themselves. They will come to understand themselves by taking part in activities and experiences that contribute to the development of their physical, intellectual and linguistic skills. As well as getting to know themselves, play also helps children to learn about others around them and the wider environment.

By playing freely, the child will build self-confidence and self-respect and will experiment with different feelings and show feelings when encountering different situations. They will use their imagination, their self-confidence and their socialising skills and will come to understand what they can achieve independently and when they need support.

It has been seen that children learn much more by taking a direct part in play. By experimenting and exploring, they will learn how things work and why things happen. This will give the children control over their actions and will allow them to experiment with new activities in new situations as they get to know themselves better. When role playing or playing with friends, the child will be able to put themselves in a specific situation. They may imitate the behaviour of an animal they have heard about or read about in a story book. They will see some of their own characteristics come alive in the animals, and their personality and understanding of themselves will develop as a result.

Children can be a good resource to help children to learn about themselves, those around them and the wider environment. Questions such as the following can be asked:

‘What would you have done if you had been in the situation facing character A?’

‘What do you think motivated character B?’

‘How would you respond to the feelings of character A?’

‘What did character B's friends think?’

‘Would you like to live in the home of character A and B?’

Mae’n hanfodol nad yw gweithiwyr gofal plant neu rieni/gofalwyr yn ceisio mowldio plant i’r hyn maent am iddynt fod. Mae angen i’r plant ddarganfod dros eu hunain pwy ydynt ac mae’n hanfodol parchu eu dewisiadau a’u penderfyniadau. Trwy ganiatáu i blant adnabod eu cryfderau unigol gellir rhoi’r grym iddynt ddarganfod eu hunain a’r byd o’u hamgylch.

Mae chwarae yn cynorthwyo plant i deimlo’n dda am eu hunain. Byddant yn dod i ddeall am eu hunain wrth gymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau a phrofiadau sy’n cyfrannu tuag at ddatblygu eu sgiliau corfforol, deallusol a ieithyddol. Yn ogystal â dod i adnabod eu hunain mae chwarae yn cynorthwyo plant i ddysgu am eraill o’u cwmpas a’r amgylchedd ehangach.

Wrth chwarae’n rhydd bydd y plentyn yn adeiladu hunanhyder a hunan-barch, bydd yn arbrofi gyda gwahanol deimladau ac arddangos teimladau pan ddaw ar draws gwahanol sefyllfaoedd. Bydd yn defnyddio ei ddychymyg, ei hunanhyder a’i sgiliau cymdeithasu gan ddod i ddeall beth mae’n medru cyflawni yn annibynnol a phryd bydd angen cymorth.

Gwelir fod plant yn dysgu llawer mwy wrth gymryd rhan uniongyrchol mewn chwarae. Trwy arbrofi ac archwilio byddant yn dysgu sut mae pethau yn gweithio a pam mae pethau yn digwydd. Bydd hyn yn rhoi rheolaeth i’r plant dros eu gweithredoedd a’u caniatáu i arbrofi gyda gweithgareddau newydd mewn sefyllfaoedd newydd gan ddod i adnabod eu hunain yn well. Wrth chwarae rôl neu chwarae gyda ffrindiau bydd y plentyn yn medru rhoi ei hun mewn sefyllfa benodol. Efallai bydd yn dynwared ymddygiad anifeiliaid y gwnaeth glywed neu ddarllen amdanynt mewn llyfr stori. Bydd yn gweld rhai nodweddion ei hunan yn dod yn fyw yn yr anifeiliaid, ac yn sgil hyn gwelir ei bersonoliaeth a dealltwriaeth o’i hunan yn datblygu.

Gall lyfrau fod yn adnodd da i gynorthwyo plant ddysgu amdanynt eu hunain, y rhai o’u cwmpas a’r amgylchedd ehangach. Gellir holi cwestiynau megis:

‘Beth fyddech wedi gwneud os fyddech yn sefyllfa cymeriad A?’

‘Beth ydych chi’n meddwl gwnaeth symbylu cymeriad B?’

‘Sut fyddech chi’n ymateb i deimladau cymeriad A?’

‘Beth oedd ffrindiau cymeriad B yn feddwl?’

‘A fyddech chi’n hoffi byw yng nghartref cymeriad A a B’?

Play that helps children to learn about themselves, those around them and the wider environment

Use the thought shower to note down as many of your ideas as you can think of

Chwarae sy’n cynorthwyo plant i ddysgu am eu hunain, y rhai o’u cwmpas a’r amgylchedd ehangach

Defnyddiwch y gawod syniadau i nodi cynifer o syniadau a allech meddwl am

Play that helps children to learn about themselves, those around them and the wider environment Chwarae sy’n cynorthwyo plant i ddysgu amdanynt eu hunain, y rhai o’u cwmpas a’r amgylchedd ehangach

Suggested answers

  • role play: home, cafe, shop, hospital, school, another country
  • singing songs and rhymes
  • running, jumping, climbing
  • building a den
  • painting
  • creating a collage
  • dancing
  • playing instruments
  • creating instruments
  • building with blocks
  • going for a walk
  • playing in the garden, the forest, the park
  • making cards
  • face-painting
  • game - deducing feelings
  • board games
  • imaginative play
  • nature activities
  • recycling activities
  • cooking.

Atebion awgrymedig

  • Chwarae rôl: cartref, caffi, siop, ysbyty, ysgol, gwlad arall
  • Canu caneuon a rhigymau
  • Rhedeg, neidio, dringo
  • Adeiladu den
  • Paentio
  • Creu collage
  • Dawnsio
  • Chwarae offerynnau
  • Creu offerynnau
  • Adeiladu gyda blociau
  • Mynd am dro
  • Chwarae yn yr ardd, y goedwig, y parc
  • Gwneud cardiau
  • Paentio wynebau
  • Gem - didoli teimladau
  • Gemau bwrdd
  • Chwarae dychmygol
  • Gweithgareddau natur
  • Gweithgareddau ailgylchu
  • Coginio