Oh my goodness....I've been reminiscing about the fun games that my siblings and I would play, back in the early 60's.
What a glorious time the early 60's were to be a kid!!! This was back when imagination was the main ingredient and fun did not require batteries. Thank goodness, because we most likely could not have afforded batteries anyways.
I was thinking about all the games we did play and came up with several. Let's see if you all can remember any of them.
1. Singing into a box fan.... We had so much fun trying to make our voices sound like stars.
2. Walking on cans with string handles..... My dad made them for us several times and gosh...we thought he had really invented something big.
3. Red Rover, Red Rover...... of course, we all remember this one!! Could you break through the chain of arms? I had a difficult time breaking through my brothers' baseball arms.
4. Hopscotch.....Chalk, rocks, and perfect balance is all we needed. Most of the time we didn't have chalk, so we used the edge of a rock to scrape off the squares.
5. Jacks.....One of my very favorite games. I was pretty good at this game.
6. Jump Rope..... We used all kinds of things for this. Sometimes it was the water hose, sometimes a real jump rope...
"Teddy bear, Teddy bear, turn around,
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, touch the ground,
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, show your shoe,
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, that will do......etc.
Also......there was: Marbles, Hula Hooping, Climbing trees, Mud pies, Paper dolls, Catching lightning bugs, Bike parades, Swinging high in the air trying to touch the sky, and so many other of the best games.
My knees were constantly scuffed up from falling off of my bike, and truth be known, I always cried when this happened. We played outside until the front porch lights came on and usually were begging not to have to take a bath.
Yes....back then, the world was our playground and most of it was right outside our front door. No need to schedule a playdate, because all of us kids were always outside, and one of us was always yelling "Last one to the porch is a rotten egg!"
We learned to take turns and we learned how to laugh at ourselves when we fell or stumbled in the grass. No need at all to run inside to tell Mama about any scrapes, unless there was blood and sometimes we just wiped it off and carried on.
All of these games were not just pastimes, they were building blocks of imagination, creativity, connection and learning all about being a kid. The world has changed a lot since those days, but the memories are so fresh in my mind. Such Happy times for sure!!
Shug....
I loved this, Shug! My brothers and I all enjoyed the singing into the fan! I loved Hopscotch, marbles, jacks, and at school we played Red Rover during recess. This was such a fun trip down memory lane. Thanks, Sweet Friend. xx
ReplyDeleteI don't know whether these innocent times will ever return. It seems unlikely, sadly.
ReplyDeleteI played all the games you mentioned. I loved playing jacks and collected marbles that I still have! Hopscotch was a favorite and we carried around our own charm, rock or whatever to use as our marker. Chinese hopscotch was a favorite and double- Dutch jumping. Truly fun times. After the age of 5 or so, I wasn’t that into dolls. Even Barbie dolls didn’t catch my interest for very long. Outside play was the best. Building forts with my friends from old rotten pieces of plywood…
ReplyDeleteThis post reached back into my memories of those childhood games that I hadn’t thought about in a long time. Thanks for that.
Oh I just remembered - tether ball. I liked that game so much my dad put one in the back yard. I was just telling my husband how much I liked hitting that ball, making it go round and round the pole.I was really into balls as a kid, like volleyball. Okay I’ll stop now! 🙃
DeleteThe very best of times and games, I agree, Shug. Wish our grandchildren could experience the same freedoms we had as kids. Thanks for highlighting the fun times we all had growing up. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteDear Shug, we had so much fun with so little in the 60s. Great memories, dear friend. Thank you 😊 so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHello Dearest - could not love this more! I was born in the 70's and relate with so many of them! I think you're exactly right in that they were during a time of such innocence and imagination without cell phones and social media. A time of being outside until the street lights came on. Making our own fun and games. Love it! 💗
ReplyDeleteI loved all those games and seeing them brought back so many memories. We had a good childhood didn't we? I was okay until the scraped knees - ouch - I remember them!
ReplyDeleteHello, oh we loved playing jump rope too. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear... great memories. Hopscotch was so fun too, we would make them soooo long. ;-)
ReplyDeleteLOVE walking down memory lane with you.
Oh, I loved your wonderful post today, Shug, and I remember most of these things. I was pretty good at "Jacks" too.....and "Hula Hoop." We stayed outside all day long, sometimes building dirt forts in the fields behind our house, running around, having a blast, and came in when it was time for supper. Those days are so vivid in my mind. I used to swing on the swings with my kids until I was at least in my 30's. And I used to love it when my teacher would say, "let's go outside and play red rover red rover." I grew up in the 60's, so you can imagine what fun this post was for me. Thank you, Shug!
ReplyDelete~Sheri
True, times have certainly changed, and not for the better. Those were simple, safer, days compared to today. I remember some of those games; and for boys there was always climbing trees. How brave we were.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I think one of the problems of todays young people is the lack of unplanned play. There was no "soft" parenting in the backyard with a group of kids playing. Parents did not interfere in squabbles which resolved easily because playing was much more fun than arguing.
ReplyDeleteI think you learned you did not hang the moon, but you were ok anyway. Also you learned you were not going to get your way all the time and compromise was necessary for continued inclusion.
Sad because all I hear from parents today is "Good job". Picking up my toys was never verbally rewarded because it was expected and part of daily living.
We played Hop Scotch in the dirt and drew the boxes and numbers with a stick:) Annie I over was always a favorite game:)
ReplyDeleteOh that picture of the skinned knees. That was my daily costume when growing up. Roller Skating and my bike were the culprits most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI played all of those games too. We had neighborhood "parades and circuses" what fun. My dad even put a swing in our single car garage. It hung by ropes from the rafters. I had a ball on it. Daddy built stilts for me and when my son was young he did the same for him. I still haven't found the picture of Steve trying to walk on them.
Jump rope was a main stay with my friends and I. I actually became pretty good at it and could do double Dutch. Fun memories. Thanks for the memories.
Sue