What is something children did for fun before the Internet?

Be human.

Go outside

Played baseball, rode our bikes, flew kites,

Rode bikes, played with the other kids in the area , played sports , played in the rain

"Go out and play"

Caught fireflies in Mason jars and did a grand release at the end. Played with our dogs and dressed up the cats. Supervised our siblings. Paper dolls. Rode bikes. Lots of family time for most. Helped churn homemade ice cream on the porch in the summer. Built snow forts and went sledding in the winter. Went Christmas caroling. Picked corn, strawberries, and blueberries and ate the harvest.

Left the house after breakfast with the understanding we had to be back by supper. Had weird toys, like the wooden paddle with a small rubber ball attached with a long rubber band that always broke. Coloring books that did not have instructions. Did chores that usually involved taking care of the pets, raking the yard, cleaning.

Learned to cook in the kitchen with Mom. Learned to build things in the garage with Dad. Practiced skipping stones on a pond. Talked to each other.

We were almost never bored.

We used to ride in the center of car tires and roll down the alley, play dodge ball, and more

Build a fort in the bush/forest.
Build billycarts.
Catch frogs.
Go hiking up in the hills.

We rode dinosaurs 😏

Walked train tracks. Pitched pennies. Jumped off swings. Climbed trees

They took off their shoes and played with their toes.

Lots of things.

Prior to my introduction to the internet, I would watch movies, watch cartoons, play with toys, play video games, play board games, play card games, read books, ride my bicycle, go exploring, go camping, go swimming, go boating, go fishing, go canoeing, go toboganning, go skiing, draw pictures, write stories, practice karate, practice tai chi, and practice my free-throw.

play outside

played doctor

What many still do today.

Drawing
Riding a bike
Playing sports
Playing board games
Playing cards
Playing computer games
Doing crosswords
Reading books
Making "cocktails" by mixing all kinds of stuff they found in the kitchen
Playing with toys or anything interesting they found (buttons, hairclips, screws...whatever)

Spent hours down the park….

Biking, hiking, playing stickball or baseball or football, watching cartoons.

Dance on the moon and srars

Ride bikes till the sun went down.

Video games, biking, random stuff
I biked a lot as a kid

Played outside

Play basketball.

Made dens in the woods. Played in long grass. Brought home insects to freak out parents out.explored old WW2 buildings. Got kissed chased by girls. Swam in rivers. Went fossil hunting. Hung out until the street lines came on.

Climbed trees, hunted frogs and snakes, played army, blew up things with firecrackers, played baseball with no adult supervision, rode bikes, explored creeks and forests, had pinecone battles. If confined indoors: made card table forts, built model airplanes and cars, played board games, read a book or (more likely) comic books, pestered older sister and friends.

Played street hockey
Someone would tell "Car" then you would stop then start again

Played outside, read books, watched tv, listened to music

Play. 😈

We drifted off and got into trouble. Yep, the same thing.

Played chase games.

Hide in small spaces, I'm sure. Kids love that. I used to hide under this pull out couch with my friend. It was just fun.

A whole bunch of stuff that involved face to face interaction with real people, instead of wasting time arguing with anonymous trolls, bullies and internet tough guys who are basically just trying to infuriate you for their own personal entertainment!!!!

- running with scissors
- played "Hey y'all, watch this!" once (ONCE)

Played in the dirt.

We rode our bicycles
Played ball games
Went camping
Watched our 5 TV channels
Went hunting and fishing
Swimming
Built forts out in the woods
Hung out and talked with our friends.

Can only speak for myself - three activities, really:

Played hide and go seek
Went swimming at the public pool in the summer
Played doctor 🤭

Dirt clod wars!