Last Updated on May 3, 2025 by Colby Droscher
If you grew up in the 1960s, chances are your childhood looked a whole lot different from what kids experience today. Back then, it wasn’t about staring at screens or scrolling through endless apps. Instead, kids spent their days outside, playing with whatever they could find, biking down the street without helmets, and eagerly waiting for Saturday morning cartoons. It was an era full of simplicity, no constant buzzing or beeping, just the world around you and the adventures you made for yourself.
A lot of those everyday experiences that were so common for ’60s kids have slowly faded away, replaced by newer, faster ways of doing things. Kids today might find it hard to imagine a time when there were no cell phones to text on, or when you actually had to turn a dial on the TV to change the channel. Times have changed exponentially, and we’re here to show you how. Here are 20 everyday pieces of 1960s childhood nostalgia.
Related: 20 Family Photos from the 1960s That Capture the True Spirit of the ’60s
1. Using filmstrips
Before YouTube or PowerPoint, classrooms in the ’60s often relied on filmstrips, which were rolls of images on a strip of film. These film strips were projected onto a screen, and students followed along as the teacher advanced the frames manually with a click.
2. Using chalkboards
Chalkboards were the standard in classrooms in the ’60s, but have since been replaced by whiteboards and dry-erase markers. We sure don’t miss the creaking sound chalk would make on whiteboards.
3. Using a View-Master
The View-Master was a toy that allowed children to view 3D images, offering a unique form of entertainment. These handheld toys could transport you into whatever world you wanted to be in.
Related: 60 Photos That Show the Way We Were in the Sixties
4. Using carbon paper
Carbon paper was a thin sheet coated with a layer of carbon-based ink, usually placed between two regular sheets of paper. When you wrote or typed on the top page, the pressure would transfer the text onto the bottom sheet, creating a near-identical copy. Carbon paper was used to make copies of documents, but has since been replaced by digital printing.
5. Using slide rules
Before calculators, slide rules were used for mathematical calculations, a skill that is now largely obsolete.
6. Using a rotary phone
Rotary dial phones were the norm, requiring patience to make calls. Every ’60s kid misses the satisfying whir of a rotary phone.
7. Using slide projectors
In the 1960s, slide projectors were the go-to technology for sharing images in classrooms, living rooms, and community centers. These devices worked by shining a bright light through small photographic slides mounted in cardboard or plastic frames, which were then projected onto a screen or wall.
8. Building soapbox cars
In the 1960s, many kids, especially in suburban neighborhoods, built their own soapbox cars, often from scrap wood, spare wheels, and whatever materials they could scrounge from garages or junkyards. These homemade vehicles had no engines, relying solely on gravity and a good hill to get moving.
9. Playing with lawn darts
Lawn darts were a popular outdoor game, later banned due to safety hazards. Everyone from the ’60s knew someone who got hurt from a lawn dart.
Related: 60+ Photos From the 1960s That Are Pure ‘Old School Cool’
10. Using paper maps
Before cell phones and GPS, kids were the GPS. Dad would hand you an old ratty map, and you’d have to help him navigate your way home. These paper maps caused too many fights to count.
11. Cooling off in Fire Hydrants
During the summer in the ’60s, fire hydrants would be opened, and children would play in the water that shot out of them. This practice has since been restricted due to safety and water conservation concerns.
12. Playing with jacks and marbles
Back in the 1960s, kids often passed the time with simple games like jacks and marbles. These weren’t just for fun; they were a big part of everyday play, whether on the schoolyard during recess or out on the driveway after dinner. With jacks, you’d bounce a little rubber ball and try to scoop up the metal pieces before the ball came back down. Marbles took a bit more aim, you’d shoot your favorite marble to knock others out of a chalk-drawn circle on the sidewalk, trying not to lose your prized “shooter” in the process.
13. Writing letters by hand
Communication over long distances was done with handwritten letters in the ’60s. There was a personal and almost magical feel that came with receiving a handwritten letter, but this practice has since been replaced by emails and instant messages.
14. Using film cameras
Photographs were taken with film cameras, requiring development at a lab, a process now replaced by digital photography.
15. Using payphones
In the ’60s, if you were out at the park and wanted to go to a friend’s house, there were no text messages. So, you’d have to find a quarter and use a payphone to let Mom know.
16. Playing games in the street
Games like hockey, baseball, and kick the can were often played in the streets. Back in the day, we had little concern for traffic.
17. Hitchhiking
Thumbs-up rides from strangers were a common way to travel, even for kids. This is a practice now deemed unsafe and largely abandoned.
18. Riding bikes without a helmet
Safety gear was rarely used while kids rode bikes. Families either didn’t have the means to afford them or didn’t care enough to wear them.
19. Using typewriters
Before personal computers, students used manual or electric typewriters for assignments, learning typing skills that are less emphasized today. We all miss the clicking sound typewriters made.
20. Walking to school alone
Children as young as five or six would walk to school alone, often miles at a time. This practice fostered independence and responsibility, but has since been abandoned because of safety concerns.
