Things We Did as Kids a Thousand Years Ago (in the Late 1900s)

We love to joke about how little there was to do back in the "ancient" days of our childhood—aka the late 1900s—but honestly? This list of childhood activities proves we weren't as bored as we like to claim. Sure, our toys and games weren't as high-tech or attention-grabbing as the devices kids have now, but we had a knack for taking simple things and turning them into hours of fun.

Who needs a gaming console when you've got a pair of tin cans and some string? Walking on those DIY stilts felt like conquering Mount Everest (until you fell off, of course). And don't even get me started on marbles—there was an art to flicking those little glass spheres, and if you had one of those swirly "cat's eye" marbles, you were basically royalty.

Every item in this list sparks a flood of memories. Whether it was spinning a top until it blurred, folding paper into cootie catchers to "predict" the future, or launching ourselves off ramps we built for our bikes, we didn't just have fun—we mastered the art of finding joy in simplicity. And honestly? That's a skill worth cherishing.

So, whether you're here for the nostalgia or to show the younger generation how we entertained ourselves, these throwback toys and games prove that simpler times didn't mean dull times.

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01
We predicted the future

via Smitty...
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02
We talked on the "Phone"

via pinterest
03
We spun this real fast

via Jelle Dijk
04
We threw these into a circle (or sometimes a hole)

via Kaz Wilsy
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05
We got hurt real bad

via a.l.s (3*)
06
We smacked these together

via Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ❤𝑺❤Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
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07
We made the ball levitate

via ツ༺❤️༻ Rachel Gill ༺❤️༻ ツ
08
We threw these in the air

via Fotocraze
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09
We pranked our mom

via L Louise Selfe
10
We made these fly

via Aiv F
11
We shot our baby brother

via Alaa Benmakhlouf
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12
We tried to get these in the middle

via marcimarcimarci
13
We shot disgustingly warm water right into our mouths

via Maya Storm
14
We never won this game

via FEdeFEnix
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15
We... uhhhh.. I still don't know how to do this

via ifyoulovetoread.com
16
We hopped on one leg

via Andrina Green
17
We walked on cans

via zakkalife.blogspot.com
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18
We made bird calls

via Anna Burdick
19
We balanced this bird on everything

via popsugar.com
20
We solved these

via Teedees
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21
We learned never to trust our friends

via EvAngsta
22
We pretended to be vampires

via sun
23
We pretended to smoke

via Leah Baker
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24
We walked this dog (and he wagged his tail)

via pinterest
25
We wondered why they made the phone cord so short

via Phyllis Davidson
26
We made these dance

via stephanie Wikstrom
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27
We made these spin

via Karen Snell
28
We made him drink

via Karen Tyers
29
We made him jump really high

via Lisa
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30
We launched balls in the air and tried to catch them

via Angelika
31
We ate pencils

via Phyllis Hill

Tags

1990s 90s memes retro nostalgia 80s music Nostalgia Overload 80s 90s kids 90s memory lane nostalgia memes millennial-nostalgia 1980s

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