How were lawn darts ever a thing? They’re basically a very large version of the kind of darts you’d see at a bar game. We’re certain numerous kids had to have been injured.

We’re sure kids still play this today but it was certainly a staple back in the day. Just careful you don’t get that shoulder ripped out of its socket!

For some reason, safety just wasn’t the priority back in the day. Riding bikes without helmets was completely acceptable.

Seatbelts were also optional back in the day. After all, if you drive safe, who needs them, right? Our logic back then was a bit skewed.

Back in the 70s and 80s, all playground equipment was made with metal. Which got really hot in the sun, so it really wasn’t safe at all. But they sure were creative back then with their playground themes!

Here’s another playground from the 70s featuring a couple of see-saws and snail-shaped metal climber.

Every kid from the 70s remembers recess spent flying around on a metal merry-go-round which could easily send you flying across the yard.

Freeze tag was another game that kids would always play back in the day. Now? They’re more interested in watching Frozen.

Another thing that was common in the 70s and 80s was hopping in the back of a pickup truck without a care in the world. Seatbelts? Who needs them?

Many parents would work late back in the day and just give their 9-year-old a key to their house to hang out until they got back home. These were called ‘latchkey’ kids and it really just doesn’t happen in today’s world.

Another classic game that kids used to play decades ago is Red Light/Green Light. Whoever moves on a red light loses!

The things our parents thought were okay to eat for lunch have drastically changed over the years. It wouldn’t be strange to see kids munching on Twinkies at lunch.

Every piece of playground equipment used to be made out of metal. It was hot, dangerous, and made your hands smell gross. Seesaws were included in that bunch.

Before the internet and smartphones, kids would play a game called ‘Kick the Can,’ where you would literally…kick a can.

Every kid who grew up in the 70s and 80s knows the torture of sliding down an old-school metal slide on an 80-degree day.

Another classic playground feature was the metal (of course) dome jungle gym to climb all over.

“Players in a line try to reach one child who monitors their progress a few steps at a time. In this one, the kids ask for permission to move forward, as in, “Mother, may I move one giant step forward?” “Mother” either says, “Yes, you may,” or “No, you may not, but you may take two small steps instead,” or whatever substitution the “Mother” prefers—baby steps, steps back, etc. If the game is reaching a stalemate with the “Mother” facing the other players (sometimes that player just doesn’t want to let anyone reach the end), try playing with “Mother’s” back turned, so she doesn’t see how close the other players are getting as they take their allowed steps,” describes Mommy Poppins.

We know kids still play hopscotch today but back in the day? It was a daily event.

We don’t know how maypole were ever a thing back in the 60s and 70s. Kids would hold onto the chain or rope, run, then let themselves fly and hope you don’t let go.

Tether ball also still exists today but it was most definitely a playground and recess staple for many of us. The side of our palms would be red from hitting the ball so hard.

Remember the Witch’s Hat at the playground? If you’re younger than 35, probably not. It was sort of like a merry-go-round but with a bench instead of a platform. Incredibly dangerous.

A classic playground favorite was the swings. Back in the day they were quite simple with rubber seats and chains that would get your fingers stuck.

More and more cities are banning sandboxes on playgrounds because a study found they harbor 2,000 times more bacteria than public door handles. Back in the day? We’d bury ourselves in them.

Monkey bars still exist today but they’re not quite as simple as they once were. And more cities are banning them do to falls and brain injuries.

Animal swings were always fun to come across at the playgound. However, you’d be hard-pressed to find them today.

“Tire swings” on today’s playgrounds are usually never made from real tires anymore. But in the 70s, it was straight off a car.

It didn’t take much to entertain kids back in the 70s. How about swinging on a random gate in the middle of a field? Why not?

Vintage playground equipment was pretty darn cute. Like this adorable old-school horse swing set.

Back in the day, you could pretty much throw up any metal structure at all and we’d play on it. Like this metal climby thing.

This wall was fun to climb up and slide down as long as it wasn’t sunny out. Otherwise, you’d burn and blind yourself at the same time.

The play area at McDonald’s sure has changed a lot over the decades too. In the 70s and 80s, it was centered around their characters.

We were obsessed with getting ourselves crazy dizzy back in the day. Here’s another playground piece of equipment meant for doing just that.

Were you lucky enough to ever play on a Giganta? At nearly 20 feet tall and 4,400 pounds, it was quite the hit.

It was so fun to hop on these metal animals on the playground and rock back and forth as fast as you could. Sometimes you could get the nose to touch the ground!

See? More random metal climbing structures. This time? It’s about as random as it an get.

Another fun way we’d entertain ourselves back in the day was by simple hand-clapping games. Miss Suzie and Patty Cake are some classics.

Another activity we liked to do with our hands was play games with string. Some favorites were Cat’s Cradle and Jacob’s Ladder.

And here we have another playground apparatus for climbing. The metail chains would sometimes pinch your fingers, though.

Remember how we said we loved being dizzy back in the 70s and 80s? Here’s more proof of that. You just sat on this thing and let a friend spin you around until you fell off.

It didn’t take much to keep us entertained back in the day. Heck, just give us a giant concrete pipe and we’re all set!

The spinning playground toys from the past just keep coming. Here’s one in the shape of a UFO.

Instead of monkey bars, some playgrounds had monkey rings. And, of course, they were made of metal.

If you were lucky, the playground at your school had the seesaw and swing combo piece of equipment. You could really get sky high if you pumped hard enough.

Did you ever have one of these monstrous swings at your local playground? It doesn’t look safe in any way so it only makes sense we played with it in the 70s.

Recess games were simple back in the day. Sometimes all you needed was a square drawn on the asphalt and a red kickball. Four-square was a 70s classic.

Or even just a concrete wall and a bouncy kickball will work just fine. Handball/wall ball was super fun at recess.

Back in the 70s, most of us were basically jump-roping pros. And if you were really good? Double Dutch was how you could prove it.

“A version of tag that sees the person that has been ‘tagged’ having to stand still (seen as being stuck in the mud) until they could ‘freed’ by another, who has crawled under their legs.

A simple but effective game that would see kids running all over the place, trying to avoid being tagged, while those stuck are bellowing for someone to get on their hands and knees and under their legs,” explains Somerset Live.

Another fun game involved a long piece of elastic that would be stretched out between two people’s ankles. Then, a third person would jump in between them.

We know the simple game of Duck, Duck, Goose is still popular for little ones today. And we were loving it just as much back in the 70s.

No one wants to be stuck with the hot potato! So you better let go of it fast! Hot Potato was a classic game on the playground.

Kids today still play with marbles, but do they really know the game of marbles like we used to when we were kids? Probably not.

Jacks was another classic playground game that we’d play with our friends. See how many you can grab before the ball bounces!

“Give your bossiest cherub a permissible outlet! One child is designated “Simon” and stands in front of the rest of the group of children. Simon then issues commands to the players, i.e. “Simon says pat your belly three times with your left hand.” The children must only follow commands preceded by the phrase, “Simon says.” If Simon simply says, “Touch your nose,” any players who follow the command are out of the game. The objective is to stay in the game as long as possible,” explains Redtri.

“In this fun version of Tag, you tag each other’s shadow with your feet instead of tagging their body. Thus, it must be played on a sunny day. The closer to noon, the greater the difficulty,” says Wired.

If it was raining outside, it was common for kids to stay inside and play a fun game of Heads Up, Seven Up.

“Dating back to at least the 1950s, this game is one we played in elementary school. In my experience, it was usually done in the classroom with everyone at their desk. To start the game, seven players go to the front and the teacher says, “Heads down, thumbs up!” Everyone still at their desk puts their head down, extends an arm and stucks their thumb up. The seven kids that were at the front go around and each press one person’s thumb down. Then they all go back to the front of the room and the teacher says, “Heads up, seven up!” The players at the desks raise their heads and the seven whose thumbs were pressed down stand up. Each in turn names the person they think pressed down their thumb. If they are correct, they change places with the presser. Then the game can start again,” says Wired.

Another fun indoor classic game we’ve been playing is Musical Chairs. Last man with a chair, wins!

“Also known as “Keep Away” or, in Great Britain, “Piggy in the Middle.” Two players pass a ball back and forth, trying to get it past the kids standing between them. Depending on the age of the players, you could bounce the ball or roll it,” explains Huff Post.

Horse has been a classic game on the playground for decades. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it’s fast! Perfect for recess.

Tiddlywinks was a game that us old folk used to play both indoors and outdoors. Then POGS came along and stole its thunder.