18 Childhood Chores from the ’80s Gen Z Wouldn’t Understand
Step back in time and discover the quirky, hands-on childhood chores of the ’80s that today’s kids can barely imagine — where every task was a mini adventure filled with patience, skill, and a touch of nostalgia.
- Alyana Aguja
- 6 min read
Childhood chores in the 1980s were a world away from today’s digital conveniences, blending everyday responsibility with tactile, often quirky tasks that shaped a generation’s hands-on experience. From rewinding VHS tapes to adjusting rabbit ear antennas, these chores required patience, care, and a bit of ingenuity. Exploring these forgotten rituals reveals not just how much childhood has changed, but also the simple joys and challenges that defined growing up before the digital revolution.
1. Rewinding VHS Tapes
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Before streaming, if you wanted to watch a movie, you had to rent a VHS tape from the video store. After watching, it was your job to rewind it using the VCR remote or the little rewind button on the player. Forget it, and the rental store might charge you a fee — talk about pressure!
2. Changing the TV Channel Manually
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Most TVs didn’t come with remote controls, so changing the channel meant physically getting up and turning a dial. If you wanted to watch Saturday morning cartoons, you better be quick on your feet. The struggle was real when the dial got stuck or the picture was fuzzy.
3. Mixing Cassette Tapes
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To make a mixtape, you had to sit by a boombox or cassette player with two decks, press record, and play at just the right time. It was an art form — one wrong pause and your favorite song could get cut off mid-verse. And of course, you’d rewind and fast-forward with a pencil to fix any tape tangles.
4. Washing the Family Car by Hand
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There were no automatic car washes on every corner. Instead, kids grabbed a bucket, sponge, and hose to scrub down the family car until it sparkled. The worst part? Getting sprayed with cold water or soaked when the hose slipped away.
5. Filling the Ice Tray
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Every freezer had those little plastic trays you had to fill with water by hand to make ice cubes. If you forgot, drinks at dinner could be seriously disappointing — lukewarm soda wasn’t the vibe. Also, you had to be careful not to spill water all over the counter or make the tray freeze up.
6. Calling Collect on a Payphone
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If your parents were out and you needed to make a call, you might have had to find a payphone — no cell phones in sight. Sometimes, you had to ask to place a “collect call,” which meant the person on the other end would pay for the call. It was nerve-wracking, especially if you were calling a friend or relative who might say no!
7. Changing the TV Antenna (Rabbit Ears)
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To get a clearer picture, you had to climb behind the TV and adjust those metal “rabbit ear” antennas. It was basically a balancing act, twisting and angling until the static cleared and your show came through. The whole family might gather around, shouting directions, “A little to the left! No, down!”
8. Dusting the TV Screen
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No flat screens meant huge, bulky TVs with curved glass. Dust could seriously mess with the picture quality, so kids often had to carefully wipe the screen with a soft cloth. One wrong move and the static or scratches would ruin your favorite show.
9. Using a Typewriter for Homework
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Before laptops, some kids had typewriters for school assignments. If you made a mistake, you couldn’t just backspace — there was no delete key. Instead, you’d use white-out or start the entire page over, making the chore a mix of patience and frustration.
10. Emptying the Ashtray
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If your parents smoked, the ashtray was a common household fixture. Kids were often tasked with emptying and cleaning it regularly, carefully avoiding the hot ashes and cigarette butts. It was a smelly chore, but you learned to be quick and cautious.
11. Using a Rotary Phone to Dial
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Rotary phones demanded you spin a dial for each number, which took time and patience. If you messed up, you had to start all over again. This chore taught kids precision, but it was definitely slower than today’s tap-and-go texting.
12. Replacing the Film in a Camera
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Instant digital photos didn’t exist — every roll of film had to be carefully loaded into the camera in near-darkness to avoid ruining it. After a day of shooting, you’d take the roll to the photo lab and wait days to see if any pictures turned out. It made each shot feel special and made you think twice before snapping.
13. Walking to the Library to Return Books
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There were no e-books or overnight delivery. Kids walked to the local library to return or renew books before their due dates to avoid fines. It was a weekly ritual, often doubling as a small adventure through the neighborhood.
14. Polishing Shoes with Real Shoe Polish
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Shiny shoes meant using a tin of waxy shoe polish, a brush, and a cloth. Kids learned the slow, circular motion to buff the leather until it gleamed. One smudge and you had to start again — no quick shine sprays back then.
15. Unclogging a Cassette Tape
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Tapes would often get tangled or jammed in the player, requiring careful manual untangling. Sometimes, kids had to use a pencil to manually rewind the tape to fix the mess. This was a tiny emergency, especially if it was your favorite song stuck inside!
16. Collecting Bottles for a Refund
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In many places, you could return soda or beer bottles for a small refund. Kids were often sent out to gather and return these bottles, counting every cent they earned. It was like a mini cash-earning chore before allowances became a thing.
17. Raking Leaves
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There were no leaf blowers, just a rake and hours outside. Kids were responsible for gathering piles of leaves, often on windy days when leaves scattered as soon as you piled them. It was tiring, but it also meant a chance to jump into the crunchy leaf piles afterward.
18. Folding Maps After a Road Trip
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Before GPS, families relied on paper maps for road trips. After the journey, kids often had to fold these giant maps back into their tiny, origami-like shapes — a notoriously difficult task. Getting the folds wrong meant the map wouldn’t fit back in the glove compartment.