Dr. Ma. Lourdes “Honey” Carandang, the country’s top psychologist, underscored the importance of giving students their much-needed break as well as allowing children to play especially during the time of a pandemic.
“Taking online is two to three times harder than live or face-to-face so I urge the schools and teachers - please, give your students a break,” Carandang said in a mix of English and Filipino during the 7th episode of “Online Kalusugan at Kaligtasan ng Kabataan” or “OKKK!” on Saturday, March 27.
As the country continues to see a surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that mental health concerns - including among the youth - have also been increasing.
Given this, DepEd’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Service (DRRMS) came up with “OKKK!” which is a series of online mental health and psychosocial support service for secondary Filipino learners.
Carandang is a clinical psychologist with special training in child and family therapy, recognized pioneer, author, teacher, mentor, and advocate in the field of child and family psychology.
During the episode, Carandang reminded teachers of the importance of giving breaks to students. “It’s essential, it’s a necessity to give them break from schooling - just a time when they can do whatever they want,” she added.
Likewise, Carandang also stressed the importance of play to children - especially the younger ones.
“The pressure to do well in school, especially coming from parents, has an impact on mental health,” Carandang. “This is why children should be allowed to play because it is a way for them to express their true feelings, they can express their emotions or whatever they are going through by playing,” she added.
Despite the restrictions brought about by the pandemic, Carandang said that parents should see to it that children have spaces - even inside the home - where they can play.
“Parents think that playing is a waste of time but what they don’t realize is that playing is very important because it affects development of their children,” she explained.
Amid the challenges during this time of pandemic, Carandang reminded parents that “play is is a basic psychological need of the child” which greatly contributes to their physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and moral development.