This Popular Boomer Childhood Activity is Now Banned in Certain States

Today's kids are often viewed as lazy or addicted to electronics. Regardless of your thoughts on that claim, it's arguably true that when baby boomers were kids, they were much more active and creative, often using their imagination to entertain themselves.

Nowadays, sitting kids in front of a screen has become the norm. One survey says that 40% of toddlers have their own tablet by the time they're two years old. Considering boomers grew up in the 1950s and 1960s and the first iPad wasn't released until 2010, we can say with certainty that boomers grew up in a much different world than most modern kids.

In many ways, this type of childhood allowed for more learning, exploring, and connecting with others. Instead of spending the day watching YouTube, kids had to make their own fun. This led to some pretty creative activities and more time out in the world, instead of staying at home staring at a screen.

Let's take a walk down memory lane and look at the various activities that occupied this generation's time when they were growing up. Many of these things would be simply foreign to today's kids, don't you think? One is even illegal or heavily restricted in several American states. In this slideshow, we'll look at 13 things that represent the childhood of baby boomers.

This post was updated in July 2025 to include additional information about the differences between childhood activities for different generations.

Long before there were video games, kids enjoyed playing board games. Granted, this type of entertainment had been around since the early 1800s, but by the mid-1950s, games like Sorry, Clue, Monopoly, and Chutes and Ladders were found in homes all over the U.S.

In the 1950s, some of the other popular board games were The Game of Life, Square Mile, Candy Land, and Park and Shop.

Penny candy stores have been around since the late 1800s, but they enjoyed their peak in the mid-1900s as boomers would stop by after school to grab a piece of licorice or Bazooka bubble gum. These stores began to rapidly decline in popularity in the 1980s.

Some of the most popular candies during that time were Necco Wafers, Bit-O-Honey, and the famous Candy Cigarettes.

Drive-in movies were the creation of Richard Hollingshead, who opened the first drive-in theater on June 6, 1933, in Camden, New Jersey. This novel concept for a fun night out enjoyed its popularity through the 1950s and '60s.

Although there aren't as many as there used to be, there are at least 300 drive-in theaters still operating in the U.S.

Party lines were an affordable option for telephone service that provided one phone line to multiple homes, or "parties." They became popular when there was a shortage of actual lines and people to install them during World War II. Telephone party lines were phased out during the 1980s and 90s.

TV dinners first became available in 1953 by C.A. Swanson & Sons. They were inspired by the fast, efficient meals served on airplanes at the time. They could be quickly heated in the oven and enjoyed in front of the television, another phenomenon that was gaining popularity in the mid-20th century.

When baby boomers were children, they were often outside from the time they got home from school till it was time to wash up for dinner. One popular activity to enjoy during outdoor time was climbing trees, which you don't see children do much anymore.

The mid-1900s brought the rise in popularity of having a home set of encyclopedias. Key players in this phenomenon were Funk & Wagnalls and the World Book encyclopedias. These were often purchased from door-to-door salespeople and offered the convenience of at-home homework research instead of going to the library.

There were various programs in the mid-20th century that connected kids with other children all over the world. International pen pals, Girl Scouts, and Campfire Girls pen pal programs were wildly popular as kids would exchange hand-written letters and anxiously await a response.

Marbles were a top-notch activity for kids in the schoolyards. Kids would play games like rolly hole and try to play for keeps. Although playing with marbles isn't a new concept, it was popular in the 1950s and 60s, and according to the Museum of Play, more than 400 million people worldwide collect marbles.

Towns all over the country received both a morning and an evening newspaper, and it was the job of many boomers to deliver these chronicles to their neighbors. For many boomers, delivering papers may have been their first job.

Back in the 1950s, kids took to the streets on their roller skates. Most often with metal wheels, this mode of transportation provided hours of entertainment and exercise. And you'd never see a kid in a helmet or with elbow and knee pads.

Boomers likely think fondly of their youth and the various activities it included, such as the yo-yo. Kids took yo-yo classes and even competed in the activity. Moves like "walk the dog," "around the world," and "rock the baby" each required a hard focus and incredible agility.

You don't see many slingshots among today's children, but when boomers were growing up, they were a wildly popular form of entertainment, especially with the boys. They'd shoot everything from aluminum cans to small game and even perhaps their little sister. Today, slingshots are generally legal in most states, but some states and cities—such as Massachusetts and New Jersey—have restrictions or bans on their possession or use, especially if intended as a weapon.