Chances are you might have heard this sound while minding your own business at home or heading to or from work; the click-clacking of two plastic balls smacking against each other repeatedly. Yes, we are referring to the toy/noisemaker called “lato-lato”.
It is the latest toy craze to hit the Philippines, many kids now have it and play with it in the home, in the street, sometimes even in public transport, often to the annoyance of the older generations.
Lato-lato has actually been banned in a barangay in Quezon City because of the noise it produces and the danger of being hit by plastic balls moving at high speed.
The fascination children have with lato-lato is also fascinating in itself; in the world of high-tech gadgets, children suddenly become enthralled with two plastic balls tied together with a string. Could it be because with the many complex rules and things that kids have to remember when it comes to gadgets and electronic games the simplicity of a noisemaker that only needs a few gestures to operate suddenly becomes a novelty?
While we agree that the noisemaker poses some danger and can be annoying, we also believe there is a golden opportunity that can come from children’s fascination with lato-lato; the chance to introduce them to traditional Filipino toys, games, and activities.
People born a generation or two ahead of the kids now will remember some toys from their childhood like Chinese garter, takyan, the hula hoop, and even toys they made themselves like kites and tires pushed with a scoop and a stick, among others.
These were toys that got them into physical activity, made them go out to make friends, learn values like fair play, learn how to become street-smart and, most of all, made them aware of the reward of constant hard work and perseverance.
These are things we want children to experience and the values and traits we want them to have. Admittedly, playing with those “old” toys had their own risk of injury, but that was part of the experience.
Perhaps we can use their fascination with a simple toy to wean children away from gadgets or activities that are not healthy for their age, draw them away from the house and out into the neighborhood where they can make actual friends, pull them away from the couch and get them into games that can be good for their overall health and social skills.
Lato-lato isn’t a new thing; people remember similar toys generations ago. Who is to say that introducing similar “old toys” like those mentioned above won’t work?