When you got kicked out of the house to "go play", what kinds of things did you do with your friends?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

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Northeast PA. 3 miles from the Pocono race track
I am a child of 50s/60s. When mom wanted to vacuum, we were ordered to "go play". There was none of this play date stuff. You were expected to get your butt out of the house, and don't cause the cops to bring you back. It was totally unsupervised time. Something today's helicopter parents would have a" stroke" over. You were on your own with your friends. What kind of games, scenarios, etc do you come up with to amuse yourself.
For me, one of the things we did was cut down branches, and fashion make believe rockets out of them. Yup, we did the magnifying lens burning of ants. Our bikes were horses, so we played "Westerns". We had a big ol' tree were used to climb, and fall out of. We built a fort out old boards, which , of course, obeyed all the normal building codes.
Looking back.... it's a wonder we made it out alive.:)
 

I grew up in the 50s. Right after breakfast I went outside to play and was instructed to be home at 12 noon for lunch. I had a big sand box, a swing set and a see saw all homemade by my Grandpa. He also put up a really heavy canvas tent for me to play in as well.
When I got my bike I got to go a bit further. Most of my summers where spent playing with my dog. When I was very young he replaced my dolls. Later on we took long walks together.
My girlfriend and I loved playing in the stream that ran in the back of our house.
We would also spend a hot afternoon running under the sprinkler.
I had to be home at 5:45 to get cleaned up for dinner. My Dad got home at 6:15.
During the summer I was outside again until dark.
I was never bored and only put shoes on for Sunday school.
 

As a kid growing up in the 40's/50's, I spent my early years living on my grandparents farm out in the country. That was endless entertainment, with many animals, and freedom to roam all over, and even into the woods. Had several buildings and pens for exploring and playing in all day ... even a smokehouse that I was sure the three bears came to stay in when no one was watching. ;) .... I had a wild imagination!

Like others, up at dawn and outside until dark everyday. ... the freedom we had back then!
 
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Red light , green light
Hide & seek
Skipping
Jumpsies
Hop scotch
Tree climbing
Fort building
Cowboys & Indians
Roller skating
Biking 🚴
Ice skating ⛸
Snowman ☃️ making
tobogganing
Road hockey
Cricket 🏏
Lawn darts 🎯
Swimming 🏊‍♀️
Baseball
Frisbee
Dog walking
Exploring
Insect 🐞 finding
Marbles
Cards
Flying kites 🪁
 
I played/explored and helped on my grandmother's farm when I was little.

When I was old enough to take off on my bike I hung out with friends around town or at the lake during the summer.

I started smoking and doing a little drinking when I crossed over from tweenager to teenager.

My adventures were pretty tame and my parents were pretty much worn out by my older brothers and sister so I was able to do pretty much as I pleased.
 
In the summers by 8.. someone was knocking on your door, or you were knocking on somebody's... We'd ride bikes everywhere, in the warmer months it was either baseball, football, or road hockey... At night time it is to kick the can, hide and seek, British Bulldog... In the winter is be hockey, broomball or go sledding over at the big hill by the school, as we got older it was mostly street hockey or lacrosse...
 
Growing up I lived in the City on a small street.There were over a dozen kids my age,boys and girls. We got wet under the fireplug,we skated ,rode bikes,jumped rope and played jailbreak. We only went inside to eat and ran right back out again.At night most of the Mom's sat on the steps and talked to one another. We stayed out late and no one got in trouble. They were the good old days.
 
I walked ,twice a day, a mile to, and back from school, by myself ,when I was in 5th grade. In the simmer, I was out of the house about 10-12 hours a day. My parents hoped I was in the neighborhood, but they really didn't know where I was. I live a a development. Most of the homes are 600-900 feet from the main road. It cracks me up when I see parents waiting in cars for their kids, when they off the school bus. Really they can't walk the 600 feet to their front door?
 
I could not wait to get outside with my brother in the streets ==hated being called in for tea..
we played with kids from all streets in London then , hide n seek was the fav...hop scotch'
jacks -
double rope skipping - hulu hoops' scooter to race on -- game called dont move' such fun ....
rounders.-kiss chase--
 
Swiped grapes of our neighbors vines. It was dark.
Played kick the can til bedtime.
Went to the movies a lot. We had two movie houses.
Played up at the stone quarry.
Went on hikes and picked wild berries.
Rode bikes a lot.
Played marbles and yo-yo.

I know I’m missing a lot, but these are things that come to mine.
 
We used to pretend we were builders. We would build a dam and block up a little creek. Then we would knock the dam down and watch the "big flood."

Sometimes we would set model ships on fire and float them down the creek. I still have a scar on my hand from a piece of burning plastic.

Endless games involving fake guns, cowboys, soldiers, you name it.
 
OMG we are out all day long. We played baseball, ringalario, hide and seek, we invented games. We had no sense of time. One night at least 30 neighborhood kids had a spontaneous kickball game after supper. I STILL think and dream about that. Simple loving times it seemed to me. sigh
 
I'd go down to MY Yellowstone rRver. It was MINE! ALL MINE! I'd search for moss agates or sit and stick my feet in the water; taunt with the quicksand. I'd climb the hills barefoot, crawl in the caves. Killed rattlesnakes. find an old bridge that no longer had boards across it and walk over the river, or I might go down to the gravel pit and pretend I was the architect of a miniature city. (which I would design and build in the sand) But, mostly it was my river! Even then, I was a loner! We were allowed to come home at five o clock. Good childhood!
In the winter, I remember tieing my sled to the back bumper of a car and Wow! sliding all over the ice really fast!
 
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I can remember games of cops and robbers, and “cowboys and Indians,” the latter being very politically incorrect by today’s standards but shaped by movies and tv of those times. Playing “the bad guy” and dying theatrically was half the fun. There were also games of kickball and hide and seek, as well as bike riding, without helmets back then...
 


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