MANILA, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 – As this hyper-connected world enters a super-stress era, it is also rediscovering the value of play. Play is slowly being reintroduced to kids who spend insurmountable amount of time in front of gadgets instead of engaging in active play. The torch-bearers of this advocacy, the Department of Education, Play Pilipinas and Johnson and Johnson Philippines, launched a campaign which advocates for the role of one hour of daily active play in children’s health and holistic development: “Di Lang Laro Ang Laro”.
Aligned with UNICEF’s Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program, the campaign advocates for learning through play in education centers throughout the Philippines for children. The movement is supported by the World Health Organization’s recommendation that children between the ages of 5 and 17 should have at least 60 minutes of physical play daily for proper physical and mental development.
UNICEF chief of education Lulay De Vera-Mateo laments the prevalence of the passive learning attitude in schools, saying that children need a play-based education system, which will put an end to the education status quo where the teacher has to stimulate the child’s appetite to learn through straight feeding of information.
The campaign also responds to a need surfaced by a study commissioned by Johnson & Johnson Philippines where mothers with four- to nine-year-old kids in the greater Manila area acknowledged that while they know the value of daily physical activity for their kids, they inadvertently end up encouraging study time while discouraging play time.
The campaign is not without its challenges, Mateo said. And two of the biggest challenges are those on lack of space and adult perception on play.
To address the first challenge, provisions for play were created. So far, 10 playgrounds have already been built in most impoverished communities all throughout the Philippines, including Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and Tarlac.
Adult perception on the benefits of play tends to lean towards seeing it as a distraction than an invaluable factor for the holistic development of children. “Too much emphasis has been put on cognitive development,” Mateo said. “But they also have to consider a child’s physical, emotional, and psychosocial development which can be improved largely through play.”
“We only have to look back to our childhood days to be convinced of how free play is a learning tool, helping us discover our capabilities,” said Sigrid Perez, executive director, Play Pilipinas.
Singer-songwriter Barbie Almalbis-Honasan, a mother of two, said, “I noticed that they easily make new friends on the playground, especially when they are with children around their age. From there, they get really creative and come up with their own games and make up their own rules.” She also lent her voice to sing the classic APO Hiking Society song “Bawat Bata”, which will accompany the campaign’s advocacy TVC.
The launch was hosted by Luisito “Bodjie” Pascua, popularly known as “Kuya Bodjie” from the iconic children’s show Batibot that triggered early memories of play among the guests.
Sustaining activities include the 365 Days of Play game where parents and children are encouraged to submit their own active play games. Chosen entries will be posted on the Johnson’s Baby Facebook page, facebook.com/johnsonsbabyphilippines.
“In promoting the role of play in children’s health and development, we also hope that even we adults can pick up a thing of two about play,” said Trina Almario-Tanlapco, group brand manager of Johnson and Johnson Philippines. “Far from being idle time, play has the power to make our kids more creative, social, strong, smart and more. Easy-access playgrounds like ‘Palarujuan’ are there for kids and parents alike to rediscover for themselves the power of play. A daily does is good for everyone.”
The campaign will run until August 2013.
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