Let’s Celebrate “Boom Games”— Games Baby Boomers Played ‘Til the Streetlights Came On
When we talk about Boom Games, we’re referring to any of those games that neighborhood kids played outside in the baby boom era of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.
After all, back then there wasn’t the option of hanging around on the couch all day playing video games. You couldn’t hop the computer to surf the Internet. And although most homes had a TV, cartoons only ran for a few hours on Saturday mornings.
Instead, parents sent kids outside to play—often with the only rule being to come home before dark. Luckily, since everybody’s parents did the same thing, you could usually find enough other kids to get some really fun games going.
The Hidden Benefits of Boom Games
In our pop culture trivia game Boom Again, one of the questions challenges players to shout out their favorite games boomers played outside. That’s because across the U.S., kids played variations of many of the same games. The rules weren’t officially taught. Rather, they were just passed on from kid to kid—from neighborhood to neighborhood. Sometimes minimal equipment was needed, such as a ball or a piece of chalk. But the hallmark of a boom-era game is that it merely required enough bodies to play.
It’s a shame that these games aren’t as commonly played anymore because they did much more than keep you out of your parents’ hair for the day.
While you were having fun, you were actually learning some important lessons.
In Boom Games, You Learned to Think on Your Feet…Literally.
The game Simon Says is a classic example of this. One person would call out a series of actions. “Simon says take a step forward. Simon says touch your nose.” Players would follow commands, but only if “Simon” said to do it. If the caller simply issued a command like “twirl around” and you did it, you were out.
You Also Learned about Teamwork.
If there were enough kids around, you could play some of the games where you broke into teams.
Remember Red Rover? Your team would yell for someone on the opposing team to “come over.” Then they’d run at you while your team linked hands as tightly as you could to keep them from breaking through your line. (Although in this game, you may have also learned about how painful it is to have a big kid barrel into your tiny, clutched hand.) For Dodgeball, all you needed was a ball. If you had a rope, how about Tug of War?
The type of teamwork in these games was different than in organized sports like baseball or basketball. Without the input of adults, the kids had to be ones to create the teams. There wasn’t anyone coaching you or cheering from the sidelines. If anyone was going to protect the littler kids from getting hurt, the task fell to a bigger kid—and looking out for your fellow teammates is a vitally important skill for anyone to learn.
In Boom Games, You Got Exercise.
Running around was an essential aspect of so many of the games. Duck, Duck Goose. Tag “You’re It.” Hopscotch. Jump Rope. Blind Man’s Bluff.
Do you remember Red Light Green Light? With players along a starting line, one person would call out, “green light!” Then everyone would race forward toward the finish line, until the caller shouted, “red light!” Anyone who didn’t immediately stop had to go back to start.
All of these were the ways boomers got their steps in before anyone even knew about Fitbits or getting steps in.
In Boom Games, You Could Get Creative.
Sometimes you played by the rules, and sometimes rules were meant to be broken.
Hopscotch invariably turned into just drawing with chalk all over your sidewalk. A game of jacks often morphed into bouncing a little ball off everything around you. There was a popular game called Statue or Freeze Tag where if you went out of bounds, you had to “freeze” in place like a statue. Even though it wasn’t part of the rules, players almost always tried to freeze in the silliest manner possible.
Without an adult poking in and telling you how the game should be played, it sometimes actually turned into something even better than the original.
Is It Time for Play to Make a Comeback?
It’s a different world than when baby boomers were young, yet one thing remains the same. Play isn’t merely all fun and games. We at Boom Again believe that it’s an important part of life, and that’s true no matter what age you are.
So even if you grew up in the baby boom era and most likely your dodgeball days are behind you, ask yourself, “How can I have fun and play today?” Then do it!
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