30 great things we could do in the â70s that todayâs kids just canât
30 great things we could do in the â70s that todayâs kids just canât
Jordan HarrisSun, February 22, 2026 at 6:56 PM UTC
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Groovinâ through the â70s
The 1970s. It was a decade defined by the unfolding drama of the Watergate hearings on flickering television screens and the ubiquitous reign of Farrah Fawcettâs feathered hair. The crackle of vinyl records provided the daily soundtrack, while disco balls transformed ordinary dance floors into glittering realms of possibility. Life, perhaps because we werenât constantly tethered to screens, felt a little simpler. Letâs hit the rewind button and take a nostalgic tour through the pastimes that made the â70s truly unforgettable.
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1. Prank calls
âIs your refrigerator running?â Ah, the joys of prank calling before caller ID swooped in and spoiled the fun. Weâd huddle around the family phone, giggling as we dared each other to trick the neighbor. The pulse-pounding risk of being recognized made the reward of a successful joke even sweeter. Today, caller ID and smartphones have largely dialed down this innocent mischief.
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2. TPâing houses
The â70s couldâve been called the Golden Age of Toilet Papering. Under the cloak of darkness, youâd toilet-paper the trees outside someoneâs home, turning their yard into a surreal art installation. Today? Ring doorbells and security cams would catch you before you could unroll a single square.
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3. Riding bikes after school
Schoolâs out, and itâs time to jump on your Schwinn with the banana seat! Weâd ride aimlessly around the neighborhood until the streetlights came on, our own small declaration of independence. GPS tracking apps for kids have taken some of the mystery out of these post-school expeditions.
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4. Staying out without telling parents
Before smartphones and tracking apps, we enjoyed an untraceable freedom that kids today might find unfathomable. As long as we were back by supper or dusk, our parents were mostly cool. Now, âWhere are you?â texts from parents come in faster than you can say âFar out!â
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5. Payphone challenges
Who could resist the siren call of a ringing payphone? Youâd sprint like a track star, coins jangling in your pocket, to answer a call that was almost never for you. It was the â70s version of playing the lottery. Today, the payphone is an endangered species, and the game is all but extinct.
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6. Hopscotch on sidewalks
Hopscotch wasnât just a game; it was a way of life. Armed with just a piece of chalk, weâd create our arena on the sidewalk and hop away like we were competing in the Olympics. Nowadays, kids are more likely to doodle on iPads than on concrete.
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7. Ding dong ditch
What is it about ringing a doorbell and running away that brought us so much joy? This classic pastime turned us into stealthy escape artists of suburban streets. Ring cameras and security systems have since made this game a thing of the past.
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8. Playing in the street
From stickball to street hockey, the road was our playground. No one worried much about traffic; cars were just another obstacle in our elaborate games. These days, itâs all organized sports with umpires, referees, and schedules. Whereâs the spontaneity, man?
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9. Roller skating to disco
Before there were hoverboards and electric scooters, we had roller skates. And not just any roller skatesâquads with groovy colored laces! Youâd roll up to the local rink where disco balls spun lazily overhead, casting shimmering reflections on the wood floor. Ah yes, the â70s, when the Bee Gees and Donna Summer were the maestros of your wheeled dance. Now, roller rinks are nostalgic novelties between episodes of âStranger Things.â
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10. Waiting around the phone
The rotary phone perched on a small table was a hub of social interaction. Youâd sit nearby, doodling or fidgeting, waiting for it to ring with news of a party or secret crush. In todayâs always-connected world, the agony and ecstasy of waiting for a call have been replaced by instant messaging and relentless notifications.
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11. Playing Simon
Simon says, âRemember me!â This electronic marvel was the ultimate test of your memory and reflexes. It beeped, it flashed, and if you were really good, it sped up! Todayâs gaming consoles offer hyper-realistic experiences, but they canât replicate the pure, immediate thrill of a Simon high score.
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12. Sibling annoyance on road trips
âMooooom, heâs touching me!â Ah, the good old days of tormenting your sibling in the backseat during long family road trips. No iPads or in-car entertainment, just an endless landscape and your siblingâs easily-poked buttons.
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13. Waiting until Saturday for cartoons
There was a ritualistic joy in waking up early on Saturdays just to watch cartoons. Your whole week built up to this marathon of animated splendor. Todayâs on-demand culture lets kids watch whatever they want, whenever they want, erasing the unique joy of Saturday morning anticipation.
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14. Photo booths
These were the original Instagram filters. For a couple of coins, you got a strip of grainy, black-and-white memories. Whether it was at the mall or a county fair, the photo booth was a momentary escape into a world of silly faces and laughter. Now, selfie apps have duplicated the effect but not the charm.
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15. Clackers
What a glorious noise! Those acrylic balls on strings were both a toy and an instrument of classroom disruption. Youâd clack them together as hard as you could until a teacher confiscated them or they shattered. Todayâs schools have banned most noisy toys, and kids are fidget-spinning in silence.
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16. Drinking tons of Tang
Astronaut-approved and a staple in pantries, Tang was the drink mix of the future that somehow tasted better in the past. Weâd stir heaping spoonfuls into water, creating a neon beverage that no natural fruit could replicate. Todayâs smoothie-obsessed culture has little room for powdered orange nostalgia.
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17. Playing with a pet rock
Who knew a rock could become a family member? Pet Rocks were the ultimate low-maintenance companions. You didnât have to feed them, walk them, or clean up after them. All they required was your imagination. In todayâs world of robotic pets and virtual zoos, the humble Pet Rock has been petrified into history.
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18. Metal lunch boxes
Your metal lunch box was more than a meal carrierâit was a status symbol. Whether you were team âStar Warsâ or team âScooby-Doo,â your choice said a lot about you. Todayâs insulated, eco-friendly lunch bags might keep sandwiches fresher, but they lack the character of their metallic ancestors.
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19. Taping songs off the radio
A blank cassette tape and a radio with a working ârecordâ button were all you needed to be a DJ. The trick was to hit record just as your jam started and to stop it before the DJ resumed talking. That mixtape became a prized possession, a DIY masterpiece of your musical taste. In the age of streaming, the art of the mixtape is another lost relic.
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20. Collecting stamps
Before the days of email and instant messaging, stamp collecting was like a slow-burning treasure hunt. Each new stamp from a far-off land felt like acquiring a tiny piece of that place, a colorful window into another culture. Today, as postal services decline and digital communication rules, the charm of philately is posted into historyâs mailbox.
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21. Playing Atari
Pong, Space Invaders, Asteroidsâoh my! The Atari console was a revolution in entertainment, bringing arcade favorites right into your living room. No quarters required, just a willing friend and a competitive spirit. Modern gaming has left these pixelated pleasures in the dust, but nothing beats the simple joys of the joystick.
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22. Drinking Pop Rocks and Coke
Urban legends swirled around combining Coke and Pop Rocks. Would your stomach explode? Spoiler: it didnât. But the tingling sensation of Pop Rocks and the fizz of Coca-Cola made for an unforgettable culinary dare. Energy drinks and weird coffee concoctions just canât replicate that â70s chemistry.
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23. Watching âThe Partridge Familyâ
With their colorful bus and catchy tunes, âThe Partridge Familyâ was a weekly dose of musical family drama. It was wholesome yet edgy, a perfect reflection of the shifting cultural landscape of the â70s. Modern family sitcoms may touch on complex issues, but they canât match the Partridgesâ retro charm.
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24. Listening to 8-track tapes
Eight-tracks were the Spotify playlists of yesteryear, chunky cartridges that youâd jam into your home or car player. Sure, the sound quality wasnât great and the tracks often switched mid-song, but there was a tactile satisfaction in handling them. Theyâve long been retired, making way for cleaner, more convenient digital formats, but oh, what a loss!
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25. Jukeboxes in diners
Jukeboxes were the Spotify of the â70s. A pocket full of change could make you the eveningâs DJ. Whatâs more thrilling than eating fries and hearing your chosen song blare from the dinerâs speakers? Playlists have stolen this simple, tactile pleasure from us.
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26. Loving your Walkman
Long before AirPods, this was your personal soundtrack to life. Youâd pop in a cassette, clip the Walkman to your belt, and lose yourself in the latest tunes as you went about your day. Fast-forwarding to your favorite song was an art form, and flipping the tape was a rite of passage. Todayâs infinite playlists may offer choice, but they lack the tactile joy of pressing physical buttons and hearing the whir of mechanics at work.
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27. Waiting your turn for the phone
In a household with just one phone line, waiting your turn was an exercise in both patience and eavesdropping. Would your big sister EVER finish talking to her boyfriend so you could call your friend? Today, with a phone in every pocket, the shared family phone experience is no more.
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28. Fixing mistakes with Wite-Out
Before the âdeleteâ key and autocorrect, Wite-Out was the savior of every typo-prone typist. It was like magic: dab a little liquid paper over your mistake, blow on it until it dried, and then type over it. Granted, the end result looked a bit patchy, but it was part of the character of any hand-typed document. These days, with word processors and digital texts, Wite-Out has been essentially erased from existence.
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29. Station wagons with wood trim
Ah, the âWoody.â This was the SUV before SUVs were a thing. Long, lumbering, and lined with faux wood paneling, these station wagons were the epitome of family road-trip style. The rear-facing backseat made for some entertaining interactions with following cars. Sure, modern SUVs may have better fuel efficiency and safety features, but they just canât match the wood-trimmed nostalgia of a â70s station wagon.
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30. Arcade Games
The smoky haze, the cacophony of bleeps and bloops, the clinking of quartersânothing quite captured the spirit of the â70s like an arcade. Youâd ride your bike down to the local game spot with a pocketful of change and spend hours mastering Space Invaders, Galaga, or Pac-Man. It wasnât just about the games; it was a communal experience, a place to hang out and prove your prowess in pixelated combat. While todayâs gaming is mostly done in isolation, staring at personal screens, the communal arcade experience is a coin-op treasure mostly relegated to hipster bars and retro-themed hangouts.
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Source: âAOL Entertainmentâ
