MANILA, Philippines – Play. It’s something that’s supposed to be part of every childhood. But parenting experts and child psychologists have recently warned that children nowadays do not get enough of play, not the kind of play that matters, anyway.

“Play is a valuable tool for learning,” said Sigrid Perez, executive director of Play Pilipinas, a social enterprise dedicated to promoting the benefits of play. “But it should be experienced in a holistic manner, so that children are learning intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially.”

And the best type of play is free play – unstructured, open-ended and allows children to use their imagination and creativity. Free play is also best when done outdoors.

“Children will discover their capacities if you just provide them with space they can play with and whatever things that are available in that space. “ Perez said.

But Perez admits, Filipino children are not getting enough playtime.

“Sometimes, it’s because of the parents’ attitude towards play. They are focused on making their children succeed in school, so often, they tell their children, ‘Tama na ang laro. Mag-aral ka muna.”

Child and family expert Dr. Esther Joos-Esteban agrees. “Well-meaning parents nowadays make the mistake of over-scheduling their child. Sometimes, they engage in hyper-parenting and schedule the child with so many activities, depriving the child of private playtime, time to be themselves to use their imagination.”

Joos-Estaban said extracurricular activities should be limited to one or two a week. “A young child needs only three things: books to develop the imagination, cups to teach spatial relations, and building blocks to build.”

“Children are ingenious,” Joos-Esteban said, adding that they only need the simplest of materials. “They are happy when they are creating, building, and constructing.”

She admitted they are also alarmed at how increasingly video games are becoming popular even among young children. “It can be fun but studies have shown it can lead to violence. A recent study shows that at the age of 8, mostly boys, can get addicted to playing video games. And 20% of those who get addicted may get into online gaming when they get older. These online games can take as long as 72 hours and take children away from other activities.”

Perez also believes that while video games can teach some skills, like eye-hand coordination, exposure to these games should be limited.

Perez admitted that there is no data available on the play of habits of Filipino children, which is why they are commissioning a study on this.

But the Department of Health in Australia recommends that toddlers (1 to 3 years) and pre-schoolers (3 to 5 years) should be physically active every day, for at least three hours, spread throughout the day.