Photo courtesy of Reddit

I remember playing outside so much as a kid; all day, every day during the summer! Back when our moms didn't have all the worldly things to worry about like they do today, our mom would send us outside, off on our next adventure.  We didn't have a care in the world!

When we were little kids we lived in California, near our elementary school.  So we would hop on our bikes, cross the very big intersection to the school, where there was a huge playground and tons of room to ride.  Sometimes we would gather our friends who lived in the neighborhoold but other times we would just go alone, to see what kind of mischief we could get into.  One day I specifically remember, my brother and I decided it would be fun to go "dumpster diving".  We found these silly old wigs that we put on our heads and wore home to show our parents.  I don't know what we were thinking, but we had a great time, and we were so proud of our finds.  

Our mom would allow us to walk all the way down to 7 Eleven, a very long walk along a very busy road, to buy ourselves a big Slurpee.  That was so much fun, and to think back on it, was absolutely crazy!  My husband still can't believe we were allowed to do that.

Playing hopscotch was one of my favorite games!  I loved it, summer after summer.  My friends and I would create our own new hopscotch games on the sidewalk, drawing it with a rock!  This was before the days of sidewalk chalk.  Not only did we use the resources we had back then, we also used our imaginations!

Photo courtesy of https://teara.govt.nz/

Even as we grew older and moved to Colorado, we still loved to play outside as much as we could.  We made new friends and continued to ride those bikes all over the neighborhood!  In Colorado we lived right near a huge water tower, what fun we would have up on that hill, playing hide and seek, doing daring tricks on our bikes, making ramps and jumping off of them with our bikes, and playing for hours.  We would ride our bikes all the way down to the big neighborhood park and play there for hours.  Our parents never even came to look for us.  The world was a lot safer back then.  It's sad to think now that we have to keep such a constant eye on our children and grandchildren because things are scary out there now.  We loved to play in the creeks and get so dirty. When we came home our mom would make us take our clothes off outside so we wouldn't track all that mud into the house.  Boy have times changed!  

Photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com

Fast forward to when my own sons were just kids.  We lived in a neighborhood with lots of kids that they made friends with.  The kids would go from house to house and play either inside or outside, but they PLAYED!  Yes, there were now video games to be played but it was still mixed with imaginitive play.  Play had become more supervised. We didn't just let them go out and roam the neighborhood alone when they were little like my brother and I did.  The neighborhood park was frequented both in summer and in winter; playground in the summer and sled riding in the winter.  Those were fun times with so many fond memories.

Kids just don't want to play outside anymore.  It's sad.  When my husband and I go to visit our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, we always take our granddaughter to their neighborhood park.  She is often the only child on the playground.  It doesn't matter the time of year.  Where did all the kiddos go?  Inside...playing video games or on their cell phones.  I am so proud of our kids, as they have a no screen rule for our granddaughter.  No games or movies on the iPad or phone or tablet.  She loves to play outside in their back yard or even just in the house with her toys, and she has become so imaginative and creative because she is playing!  I love this so much. 

What were your favorite things to do and play when you were young?  I'd love to read all of your fun answers and get feedback on this topic.

It is a great big giant world out there.  Get out there and explore and play and wander.  And encourage your children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces to do the same.  Thank you for taking the time to read and share.  We appreciate all of you!  JK