How to occupy or entertain children without screens

[tortoise]

I'd like to start a list of how children were raised, occupied, and entertained before screens. The hardest skills to learn are those which we haven't experienced, haven't had modeled for us, and don't see often in our culture.

I'm hoping older members can chime in with their happy non-screen childhood memories. How did your parents and grandparents do it?

 

[milkmansdaughter]

What a great topic! One of the biggest blessings I've ever had was my childhood!

Growing up we helped a lot around the house and gardens, cutting lawns, babysitting, baling hay, tending animals, always stuff to do, but also biking miles and miles, sometimes 5 across the road holding hands and not the handle bars. We'd get old bike parts at the local dump and build or fix our own. We built clubhouses and tree houses, and race tracks. We planted and harvested our own "pickle patch" and sold them to a canning factory for cash. We read, read and read some more. Long games of monopoly, checkers, mousetrap, tinkertoys and erectorsets. We'd build whole villages with Lincoln logs. Wed line up hundreds of dominoes in intricate patterns and tgen watch them all fall. We'd use several decks of cards to build intricate houses of cards. We painted, built things, made things with modge podge and with paper mache. We made our own plays and sold tickets to audiences (sometimes the audience shifted as they were needed in a scene then sat back down). We made our own tvs out of cardboard boxes. We'd make our a big story, draw the pictures, tape the pages together in a long long scroll. Then we'd roll it up on a stick on each end and scroll it past the "screen" of our cardboard box, narrating the scenes as each picture scrolled past. We seemed to do the news most often. We'd build model cars and put bottle rockets in them to see how far down the road they'd go. We build two story matchbox car racetracks and shoot the cars off into oblivion. We'd play tag and hide and seek in cornfields, build clubhouses with trap doors in the hay bales, swing off the barn rafters and land in the chopped hay, and climb silos. We cat paths in the lawn with the mowers (or made patgs in the snow in winter) and then played games of tag in which you had to stay on the paths (i think we called it the gox and tge hound.) We played freeze tag. We swam, fished, canoed, slept in tents or out in the open in the back yard. We had tons of campfires with stories, songs, and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. We played jarts, croquet, volleyball, badmitton, baseball, kick the can, flashlight tag, red rover, ghost in the graveyard, and many more.
We had 3 old big empty cable spools and had great fun with those. They were picnic tables, places to hide, and more. We'd roll them down hills while standing on top, trying to make it all the way down the hill without falling off (We were also very good at logrolling in the lake -we had great balance). We used to roll those spools up the road about 1/8 of a mile, crawl inside, and then roll 1/4 mile down the hill on the road if we were lucky enough to roll straight and not hit a ditch. We rollerskated and skateboarders and used pogo sticks. We taught the dog to pull us on skates and sleds. We jumped rope, ran everywhere, played on the swing set and climbed trees. We climbed everything! Any metal pole, trees, siloes, an area ski jump, fire towers, barn rafters, roofs... We were spies with little notebooks looking for clues, archaeologists digging up great treasures, cops ready to hand out tickets, indians, cowboys, circus clowns, acrobats, astronauts, and veterinarians. We build stick houses in which the outlines of our houses were made with sticks and stones. We built whole cities complete with roads, rivers and lakes in the huge sandbox in the yard. In the winter we flooded the end of the field and made our own hockey and skating rink. We played hockey with broom handles and sticks. We made forts and snowmen and snow angels. We went snowmobiling, and watched the northern lights. We watched the stars endlessly. We made our own snowshoes and skies. We went tobogganing and sledding and innertubing, often miles from the house for many hours at a time. We'd climb up in the old granary and climb out the window onto the roof so we could sled off of the metal roof, and fly off of the edge of tge roof. We went to see how maple syrup was harvested and put fresh maple syrup on fresh snow snowcones. We built connecting snow caves and long tunnels. We added water to the sledding hills to makes solid iced ramps and jumps. We climbed frozen waterfalls.
In the summer, we'd dress in all of our winter gear and pretend it was winter. We made forts out of blankets on the clotheslines. We used giant pieces of cardboard as our own "windsurfing" sails, and would let the wind push us all over the yard. We slid down hills in the summer in cardboard boxes. (We tried this on steps, but it didn't work so well!) But we did pretend to be alligators and would go down the staircase on our bellies, headfirst, slowly letting ourselves down one step at a time by using our arms. We'd play in our rooms pretending the floor was water filled with sharks. We'd make our way around the room without touching the floor by swinging on the door (standing on the doorknobs), then stepping onto a dresser, jumping over to the top of the bunkbed, then jumping to the big bed, climbing over another dresser...
We'd go to the dump and watch bears come to get the food scraps the old man used to set out for them at the far back of the dump. We'd go out at night with spotlights to find huge groups of deer just to watch them. We'd sit on the garage roof to watch fireworks. We'd go see the Lake sturgeon when they went up the river to spawn, and we'd make the trip to an area west of the city to watch trumpeter swans and snow geese migrating.
Dad was GREAT about bringing us places to see how things were made or built. We went to mechanics and sawmills, potato warehouses and paper mills. We saw how toilet paper, paper towels,and school paper were all made. We watched candy being made and cigarettes. We climbed ski jumps and went to airports. We went to construction sites and gravel pits. We shook Mr. Wipples hand. We watched pencils being made and how dams worked. We toured sunbmarines, fire boats, WWII ships and airplanes. We went to museums of all kinds, mostly for free.
We built our own dams and fish beds, and watched beavers making their own. We caught, cleaned, and cooked our own fish. We made our own kites and then flew them. We mixed our own soap bubbles, carved things out of bars of soap and wood, and made our own candles. We built little boats and raced them in the creek. We made our own swings and hammocks. We brought home all kinds of strays. We'd go to waterfalls, go rockclimbing, and follow the creeks for miles to see where they went. We explored logging roads and back roads. We had two telephone poles tied together on one end. This was leaning out over the lake held by a cable. A rope hung from the top and was suspended over the water. Then we'd take the rope, climb a set of steps and swing out over the lake, flipping off of that rope into the deep water.
We did flips, stood on our heads, walked on our hands, did cartwheels and summersaults, and had "wheel barrow" races with human "wheelbarrows". We played dodgeball and didn't cry when we got hit. We had potato sack races. We caught and raced turtles. We caught and raised pigeons.
One spring our neighbors yard flooded. Their parents were both working (my mom was home so we could do this at our house...). We brought all of their (wood) dining room chairs outside, and set them in the water, then jumped from chair to chair to stay out of the water. We were having a fabulous time until their mom got home!
At some point, we acquired a really really heavy old barber chair. It was on our front porch for years. We had so much fun in that old chair giving each other "rides". One person would get in and the othervwould pump a handle to raise it up. Then we'd grab the foot rest and spin the chair around and around.
We made gilts out of boards and old metal coffee cans and would walk around the yard on our "stilts". We made astronauts suits (and forts) out of cardboard (and dress up of all kinds!). We'd make telephones out of string and tin cans. We made our own periscopes, and i even made my own camera when i was in 6th grade.
We played cops and robbers on our bikes.

We all went to the fair at the end of the summer and we all had lots of entries: animals of all kinds (horses meant you got to stay overnight at the fair, sleeping on bales of hay!!), photography, canning, knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, produce, artwork, woodwork... animals got you free admission.

The thing is, we all worked too. But when we weren't doing chores of some kind, we were never bored. We were busy all the time. I could go on much longer on this topic. I had a fabulous childhood, and was very blessed to have the parents I did, the family I grew up in, and both the time and community I grew up in. God has been exceedingly good to me!!

Oh to be young again and to have that much energy!

 

[Britesea]

If you mention these activities to a modern kid, chances are you'll get a blank look.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's the famous..."Back in our day" lead in. Back in our day, parents didn't feel compelled to entertain children..there just wasn't the emphasis on it that there is in this current culture. Adults were always busy and children better be too...any kid that complained they were "bored" were given chores to do, so if you were smart you occupied yourself elsewhere if you could escape chores. We had TV for awhile back then but it only had three channels and us kids only got to watch a little Saturday morning cartoons...the real stuff...Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Foghorn Leghorn. Sometimes we even got to watch the Carol Burnett show and HeeHaw...both great shows!

We played...singly, small group or large group. We'd get together for a neighborhood softball or wiffle ball game and that took place on any yard big enough to hold the game. Back in those days kids actually played together, either organized games like ball or just "war", tag, hide and seek, mumbly peg, or just imaginary games of pretend....my sister and I had one Barbie each for all our growing up but man did those Barbies get a work out! They started out Miss America dolls and ended up pioneer women who rode Johnny West's horses, shot rifles, rescued stuffed animals that fell over "cliffs",etc.

We fished, rode our bikes, swam in the river, sold seeds to the neighbors to make enough money for candy purchases, and made tents out of sticks and old blankets to "camp out" in.

In other words, back in the late 60s and early 70s kids had FUN. We were rarely ever still, moving and grooving all day long as we looked for things to do.

Now, when my granddaughters visit, I try to keep them outdoors when the weather is fitting and I just let them make up the play or work beside me. Their mother is amazed at how long they "stay occupied" with no toys, tablets(yes, they have a 3 yr old who has her own tablet) or TV. Here they bring a sack of toys from home and never play with a single one, in most cases, and especially if they are outside.

The other day the 3 yr old doctored 5 pieces of wood all day in her "clinic"...wood pieces that had come off the project I was working on at the time. I did my work and she did hers, while I had to stop occasionally to drive the "ambulance"(my own two feet and a block of wood for a stretcher) to get her wood chip patients to the clinic.

As she gets older, I'm sure this great imagination of hers will be dulled by the screens and she'll come out here and complain of being bored...at which time she'll get what I got as a youngster~a job to do. If it's raining, she better grab a book...we've got no TV here, nor will I allow her to hunker over a cell phone when that time comes. I was always told there are no boring times, only boring people. If you've got a mind, you can use it.

Here's the grandgirl helping her great grandmother....and we hope to continue that trend of teaching her how to produce food, occupy your hands and mind, and be a useful person.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Growing up, we had a small TV, 4 channels "sometimes". We spent a LOT of time outside.

Bike riding or walking. I would simply go for a long walk, just because: be gone for half a day, exploring the countryside. We sometimes set out with our little red wagon, collecting bottles along the way. By the time we got to the store, we often had enough "returns" to buy a bag of penny candy or even some french fries to split!

Slogging around in the streams and ponds, catching salamanders, frogs, fish. Bringing home frog or toad eggs to hatch and raise.

Ice skating: no rink! We would walk a mile through the woods to a stream with a beaver dam. We could skate about a mile, and would often build a fire on the bank. Take a picnic lunch and spend the day. No adult supervision!!!

Sledding, tobogganing, making snow caves and igloos, snow forts followed by snow ball fights, snow sculptures, playing fox and geese in the snow.

In the spring, when the snow was melting, and there was a lot of shell ice over the vernal pools, I'd go into the alder swamps and use the bent over alders like a trampoline.

Rolling down a grassy hill. Playing in piles of leaves.

Camping, fishing, boating, canoeing, swimming, water skiing, building sand castles at the ocean.

I could never get enough of camping. When I was in my early teens, I pitched the old army tent out in the back yard, and spent most of one summer sleeping there.

Marathon Monopoly or card games, often played outside.

Scouting for and collecting night crawlers after dark. Catching jars full of fire flies. Hide and seek, always best played after dark.

Neighborhood soft ball games.

Hand sewing doll clothes for my huge collection of dolls.

Reading. LOTS and LOTS of reading. My mom used to say: If you can read, you will never be lonely. Much wisdom there!

Putting on plays/shows with the neighborhood kids, which our parents suffered through.

Picking wild berries and making juice, or taking them home for Mom to turn them into a pie or tart.

During those days, it was safe for a young teen age girl to be out and about alone, without adult supervision. My dad would sometimes drop me off in down town Bangor where I'd spend the afternoon "shopping". No cell phone. No means of communication unless I found a pay phone. He'd then pick me up at the end of the day at a pre-arranged location, usually on the street corner in front of the WT Grants building.

Started my first chicken flock at the age of 12. Had a menagerie of pets: Every thing with fur, scales, feathers, slimy skin. As well as a virtual jungle in my bedroom.

Learning how to cook at the age of 12, making pies and other desserts, breakfast, simple meals in oven and on stove.

Taught myself how to sew, using the old Singer sewing machine. Started making my own clothes and made most of them by the time I was 14. Babysitting at the same age. Housekeeping job at the age of 15, then buying all of my own clothing, and most other personal supplies.

When I was growing up, there was no such thing as "helicopter" parenting. Us kids were expected to stay out of trouble, entertain ourselves, and help out around the home with chores or on an as needed basis.

***************************************************************************************

Time to dream: laying on a carpet of grass under the lacy canopy of a tree, just enjoying the spectacle of the green dancing against the blue. Same carpet of grass watching the clouds drift by, seeing what shapes can be seen in the clouds. Best to be done with your best friend.

Watching the beauty of the sky: The periwinkle of a winter "storm is coming" sky, the clear blue with puffy cotton candy clouds, the salmon pink and purples of a sailor's sunset. The millions of stars on a clear night, finding the various constellations. Occasional glimpse of the northern lights.

Watching the bats dipping and soaring, especially enjoyed when out on the lake in the evening. The call of the whip-poor-will. I heard my first one last summer, after not hearing them for more than 4 decades.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

My Grandmother was a blessing to my childhood- firm but loving. "Get outside- the sun is out!"
When I think kid years, I think of collecting eggs, being sent to find hidden broody hens on a nest, competing with my cousin to get all the clothes off my Grandma's line, haying and feeding the horses, scrubbing troughs. I think of walking the goats down the hill to pull limbs down for them to eat. Fishing every chance we could after begging my uncle to break out the tackle boxes. Patiently waiting with my hands around the feeder for hummingbirds to light on my fingers and get a drink. Making my Grandma a cup of coffee and bringing it to her, or bringing firewood in for her wood stove. Helping unload feed from the truck and haul it in the barn. Knowing how to properly keep clean the horse hooves. Cutting branches and scrub to make little shelters out in the woods. I learned to whittle walking sticks- which became my main craft seller today. If it wasn't for my Grandma telling me to get outside- I'd be in sad shape today.

 

[canesisters]

eta - this is what MY screen-free childhood was like:
bikes
singing into hairbrushes and dancing on the bed
model horses' adventures for hours and hours
using a butcher knife, boxes, duct tape and markers to build elaborate stables for model horses
tying towels around the back legs of model horses and playing 'sea horses' when the regular ones got boring
sneaking off into the woods (and getting spanked when caught coming back out)
raking leaves into the deep ditch and jumping into them
chores
fighting with my sister
turning a drainage culvert into a 'fort' .... and getting spanked when caught in there
listening to Casey Kasem count down the top 40 and trying to tape my favorites
organizing with the neighborhood kids to be the entertainment for the block party - 'Rock band'... all of us banging rocks together and singing
building an entire 'Adventure Land' for ants out of dirt, sticks, acorn caps, string and pebbles
chores
fighting with my sister
reading was for night time - but often went LATE into the night with a flashlight under the covers
daydreaming about the adventures I had read about the next day - usually while in a tree
'training' the dog... while he sat there never doing ANYTHING but staring at me
chores
fighting with my sister
"washing" Dad's car

 

[milkmansdaughter]

We had a really old Boy Scout manual, and would practice making all of the knots, lashing things together with vines and binder twine, making our own tents, building our own teepees.

 

[CrealCritter]

All my kids had chores, and if they broke whatever it was they were using to do the chores they worked with me to fix it. I had one son who if he didn't like doing something like weed whacking he would break the weed wacker. By having him work with me to fix what he broke that stopped him breaking things real quick.

I had another son who had a temper. Every time my wife or I saw he had one we would make him pound a spike into a big oak 6x6 with a 3 lb hammer. Once he got to the point where he had no more room for spikes in the 6x6. I took him out to go look at the 6x6. I only had to say one thing to him "look at all the time you spent being mad and for what, was it really worth all this time spent?" He couldn't answer me, because he forgot all most all of what he was mad about originally. Now he is the most level headed of all my sons.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Wow - memories come flooding back. I was a child of... well of a long time ago, lol! There were no screens (except television) in my childhood. I was lucky enough to grow up in a neighborhood that was a bit isolated. It was actually 'company housing'. There were 22 houses that were situated at the end of a long, dead end road. Woods, bayous and fields all around.

I wish every kid could grow up the way I did. We would get up, have a bowl of oatmeal, make our beds, take our dirty clothes to the laundry hamper and then basically disappear until lunch! There were tons of kids in the neighborhoods and some are still life-long friends. We had pedal cars when young, bicycles with training wheels when older and older yet the 10 speed bike craze hit. Most of us had horses, go-carts and even motorcycles. There were trails everywhere to ride on.

We had huge neighborhood picnics, a circus one summer, volleyball tournaments - there was even a private lake. We had enough kids for baseball games...and the company even built us a regulation baseball field. There was another football field that we loved to play on....even better if it was muddy! On those really hot sultry days we'd spread a blanket in the shade and play monopoly for hours.

We built forts in the woods, and played 'tag' on horses. The game was played by 'doubling up' on the horse and chasing the other kids on their horses . You'd win by pulling the backseat rider off the horse. Last team with two people on a horse won! Then came the day when I was riding behind one person when we were chasing another team. The horse we were on decided to go home at full gallop. We went around a sharp bend in a trail that had a huge pine tree on the corner. My 'driver' couldn't keep the horse away from the tree and we were about to be brushed off against it when she stuck out her arm to push us away from the tree and shattered her wrist and arm... the horse actually hit the tree with it's shoulder and was flipped around throwing me off about 12 feet through the air. I landed on my back and thought I'd never breathe again. That was the first, and only time I've had the breath knocked right out of me. The adults put a stop to our game after that, lol. It's really a wonder that some of us survived our childhood. And, actually one of us didn't.

Motorcycles! One of our younger neighbors decided to take his big brother's motorcycle for a ride when no one was at home to stop him. No helmet, no protective gear at all. He was on a bike that was too much for him and he wasn't familiar with it. He tried to stop with the front brakes only and flipped the bike landing on his head. It was the first time most of us kids had to deal with someone we knew being tragically injured. What's even worse is that he was in a coma for years before actually passing.

My kids basically grew up the same way. Bicycles, go carts, horses... They would do a few chores in the morning, come home for lunch and spend the afternoon playing with friends. They didn't have the same freedom that I had as a child because we didn't live in such an isolated area. But if you ask them - they'll tell you that they had a great childhood. I really wish all kids could have that.