17 Things ’60s Kids Did When They Were Told to Go Outside

In the 1960s, the words go outside and play were less a suggestion than a daily order from parents. Kids burst out the screen door after breakfast and often did not return until the streetlights flickered on at dusk. With no smartphones, video games, or scheduled playdates, they invented their own entertainment using bikes, chalk, sticks, jump ropes, and whatever junk they could find in the garage. Neighborhood gangs of children roamed freely, settled their own arguments, and built a culture of games passed down from older siblings. Here are 17 things ’60s kids did when they were sent outdoors, and why so many of these simple pastimes are rarely seen today.

1. Staying Out Until the Streetlights Came On

The streetlight rule was the only curfew many ’60s kids ever knew. Parents sent children out after breakfast with few instructions, expecting them to come home for lunch and then disappear again until the lamps along the street flickered on at dusk. This loose system worked because neighborhoods were full of stay-at-home parents who kept a casual eye on everyone, and kids traveled in big groups that looked out for each other. Changing work patterns, busier roads, and growing safety worries have made free-range afternoons rare, though some parents now push back with movements that encourage more independent outdoor play.

2. Clipping Playing Cards to Bike Spokes

Clipping playing cards to bicycle spokes was the cheapest upgrade any ’60s kid could make. Children used wooden clothespins borrowed from the family laundry line to fasten a card to the bike frame so it slapped against the spokes as the wheels turned. The faster they pedaled, the louder the rattling buzz became, which made a plain Schwinn sound like a roaring motorcycle racing down the block. Fancy bikes with banana seats and high-rise handlebars arrived later in the decade, and while cards have mostly vanished, plastic spoke beads and clip-on noisemakers still keep the same idea alive for young riders.

3. Playing Kick the Can at Dusk

Kick the can was one of the most popular neighborhood games of the decade. One player guarded an empty tin can in the middle of the street while everyone else hid, and anyone caught was sent to a makeshift jail until a free player dashed in and kicked the can to release them. The game needed nothing but a discarded can and a group of kids, so it could start instantly on any block and often ran until parents started calling everyone home. Organized sports and indoor entertainment have pushed street games aside, but kick the can remains a nostalgic favorite that some summer camps and families still teach today.

4. Building Forts From Scrap Wood

Building forts was a serious construction project for ’60s kids. Groups gathered scrap lumber, old blankets, cardboard boxes, and nails from garages or construction sites, then hammered together hideouts in backyards, woods, or vacant lots. These secret clubhouses gave children a sense of ownership and independence, complete with handmade signs, passwords, and strict rules about who could come inside. Liability worries and smaller yards have made homemade forts less common, though prefabricated playhouses and adventure playgrounds, where kids build with real tools, try to recapture the creativity of those makeshift structures.

5. Catching Fireflies in Glass Jars

Catching fireflies was a classic summer evening ritual across much of the country. Kids grabbed empty mayonnaise or jelly jars, punched air holes in the metal lids with a nail, and chased the blinking insects across lawns as darkness settled in. The glowing jars worked like natural lanterns, and the activity felt magical because it combined a treasure hunt, a chase, and a light show in one simple backyard adventure. Scientists now report declining firefly populations in many areas due to habitat loss, light pollution, and pesticides, encouraging people to watch them in the wild and release any they catch.

6. Spinning Hula Hoops for Hours

The hula hoop became one of the biggest toy crazes of the era. Wham-O introduced its plastic version in 1958, and kids spent hours swiveling their hips to keep the hoop spinning around their waists, necks, arms, and even ankles. The company reportedly sold around 25 million hoops in just a few months, and contests to see who could keep one going the longest became common on sidewalks, playgrounds, and driveways. The craze cooled by the early 1960s but never fully disappeared, and hooping has returned as a popular fitness workout and performance art form, with weighted hoops now sold for adult exercise.

7. Sidewalk Surfing on Early Skateboards

Sidewalk surfing was the original name for skateboarding in the early 1960s. California kids first nailed metal roller skate wheels onto wooden planks, and companies soon sold boards with clay wheels that gave a bumpy, unpredictable ride. The hobby let surfers practice their moves on land when ocean waves were flat, and it quickly spread inland as teens copied the carving style down steep hills, parking lots, and driveways. Injuries and city bans caused a brief crash in 1965, but polyurethane wheels in the 1970s revived the sport, which grew into a global culture and made its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021.

8. Playing Cowboys With Cap Guns

Playing cowboys was a favorite pastime for kids raised on TV westerns. Children strapped on plastic holsters, loaded rolls of paper caps into toy pistols, and staged dramatic shootouts across backyards and neighborhood streets. Shows like Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and The Rifleman dominated television, so acting out frontier showdowns let kids pretend to be the heroes they watched every week. Westerns faded from TV by the 1970s, and toy guns became far less common as attitudes about pretend weapons changed, leaving cap guns mostly as nostalgic collectibles and occasional novelty items sold in tourist shops.

9. Organizing Sandlot Baseball Games

Sandlot baseball was how countless ’60s kids learned the game. Players gathered in empty lots, parks, or school fields, picked teams on the spot, and used jackets, rocks, or trash can lids as bases. There were no coaches, uniforms, or umpires, so kids made their own rules, settled disputes through arguments, and adjusted the game for however many players showed up that day. Organized youth leagues and travel teams have largely replaced these pickup games, but many coaches and researchers argue that unstructured play helped children develop creativity, problem solving, and a genuine love of sports.

10. Strapping On Metal Roller Skates

Metal roller skates were a favorite way to zoom around the neighborhood. Kids clamped the adjustable skates directly onto their regular shoes and tightened them with a special skate key, which many wore on a string around their neck. The steel wheels clattered loudly over sidewalk cracks, and racing down driveways or skating to a friend’s house gave children speed and freedom without needing a bike. Shoe-style skates with smooth urethane wheels replaced them by the late 1970s, and inline skates followed, but those clunky key skates remain an instantly recognizable symbol of mid-century childhood.

11. Drawing Hopscotch Courts With Chalk

Hopscotch courts appeared on sidewalks almost anywhere kids gathered. Children drew numbered boxes with chalk, tossed a stone or bottle cap onto a square, and hopped through the course on one or two bare feet without stepping on any lines. The game was popular because it cost almost nothing, worked for any number of players, and helped build balance and coordination without anyone realizing it was exercise. Chalk art and hopscotch still show up on driveways today, and the game has even been painted permanently onto many school playgrounds, keeping a centuries-old tradition alive for new generations.

12. Shooting Marbles in the Dirt

Marbles were a cheap, pocket-sized obsession for many ’60s kids. Players drew a circle in the dirt, placed marbles inside, and took turns flicking a larger shooter marble with their thumb to knock others out of the ring. Kids often played for keeps, meaning winners took home the marbles they knocked out, which made every game tense and turned rare cat’s eyes and swirls into prized playground treasures. The hobby declined as other toys took over, but marble collecting remains popular among adult hobbyists, and the National Marbles Tournament has been held in the United States every year since 1922.

13. Exploring Creeks and Nearby Woods

Exploring creeks and nearby woods was a daily adventure for kids with open land close by. Children waded through shallow streams, flipped over rocks to find crayfish and salamanders, and carried home tadpoles in buckets to watch them grow. These unsupervised trips taught kids about nature firsthand and gave them the thrill of discovery, often turning into stories that grew bigger every time they were retold. Suburban development and safety concerns have limited these wanderings, but nature schools and outdoor education programs now try to recreate that hands-on connection with the natural world.

14. Running Through Sprinklers and Hydrants

Running through sprinklers was the classic way to beat summer heat in the ’60s. Suburban kids in swimsuits dashed back and forth through lawn sprinklers, while city children gathered around fire hydrants opened by neighbors or firefighters to create a powerful spray. Few families had air conditioning or backyard pools, so a cheap blast of cold water turned an ordinary afternoon into a neighborhood-wide party. Many cities now offer splash pads and sprinkler caps that reduce wasted water, and Wham-O’s Slip ‘N Slide, introduced in 1961, remains a beloved summertime staple in backyards across the country.

15. Chasing the Ice Cream Truck

Chasing the ice cream truck was the highlight of many summer afternoons. Kids heard the familiar jingle drifting through the neighborhood, raced home to beg for coins, and then sprinted after the slow-moving truck before it turned the corner. Treats like Good Humor bars, Popsicles, and Bomb Pops cost only a few cents, making the truck an affordable daily luxury that brought every child on the block outside at once. Ice cream trucks still roam some neighborhoods, though their numbers have fallen as grocery stores sell cheap frozen treats, and some operators now let customers track their trucks through apps.

16. Racing Homemade Soapbox Go-Karts

Homemade soapbox go-karts turned driveways into racetracks. Kids built simple cars from wooden crates, old baby carriage wheels, and scrap lumber, then steered them downhill with ropes or a crude steering wheel. The national Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, drew thousands of competitors and huge crowds, inspiring children everywhere to build their own versions and race them against friends. The official derby still runs today with standardized kits, while homemade carts have become rarer, but the tradition of building and racing gravity-powered cars continues through community events and STEM programs.

17. Jumping Rope With Rhyming Chants

Jump rope games filled sidewalks and playgrounds with rhythm and chanting. Two kids swung a long rope while others jumped in, keeping time with rhyming chants that counted jumps or spelled out names, and skilled players tackled the faster double dutch style with two ropes turning at once. The game was cheap, social, and passed down orally from older kids to younger ones, creating a rich tradition of rhymes that varied from city to city. Double dutch later grew into a competitive sport with international tournaments, and jump rope remains a popular fitness tool used by athletes, boxers, and gym enthusiasts.