These 19 Photos Prove Kids Don’t Play Like They Used To
Remember playing in the street as a kid? Bare feet, scuffed knees, an impromptu game of Wiffle ball or tag — all unsupervised with the promise that you’d make it back home before the sun went down. Sure, some kids still play this way today, but they’re more likely to be glued to a monitor playing video games than going on an excursion to a nearby creek. For a trip down memory lane, take a look at these nostalgic photos that offer a glimpse into how kids used to play.
1. Just a 1950s Boy and His Bow and Arrow
2. Kids Playing in an Abandoned Car in Glasgow, Scotland, 1969
3. French Children Watching a Puppet Show, 1960
4. Playing With Marbles on a Playground, 1950s
5. Splashing Around in the Street, 1924
6. So What If Your Clothes Got Dirty Playing by the Creek?
7. ‘My Grandfather (a Cop) Let the Neighbor Kids Play in His Squad Car’
8. Children Playing in the Streets of Balsall Heath, Birmingham (UK), 1968
9. Ok, So That Doesn’t Seem Particularly Safe …
10. A Daredevil in the Making
11. Something Tells Me a Waiver Was Not Signed
12. Playing Basketball Next to a Burning Building in Harlem, NYC, 1975
13. Don’t Worry, the Goalie Was Always on the Lookout for Cars
14. ‘We Were the First Kids in Our Neighborhood To Get a Nintendo’ (1989)
15. When a Shopping Cart Was All You Needed To Have Fun
16. Neighborhood Kids Playing War
17. Happiness Sourced From a Dog and a Banjo
18. A Simple Gaming Setup, 1985
19. When an Abandoned Trolley Was a Playground, Not a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
Nostalgic for more glimpses into the past?
Take a look at these 15 Photos of Church Outfits From Back in the Day and 18 Photos of Middle-Class Life in the ’70s vs. Today. You should also explore 15 Dreamy Photos of 1960s Weddings and 15 Design Trends That Scream 1990s to see just how different life looked in decades past.