5 Fun Games 80’s & 90’s Kids Used To Play 

Every generation feels that their era was the best time to grow up as a child. My parents would reminisce about the fun they had growing up as they shared their favorite parts of their childhood. My kids have shared some of the games that they used to play when they were little. Over the holidays, we were discussing certain games that my wife and I would play when we were kids.

One of the games I mentioned was kick the can. Not only did my kids look at me sideways, but my wife did too. As I explained the game and the goal of it, all I saw was blank stares. Even though they thought the game didn’t sound that much fun, it did get me thinking of some of the fun games I used to play with my friends in the 80’s and 90’s. Feel free to share yours in the comment section below. 

Kick The Can – Fun Game That Combined Other Games

Kick The Can is a game that combines capture the flag, tag and hide and seek. One person or a team is designated as it. Then you place a can or similar object in the driveway or an open space. The person who is it can’t really be too close to the can, but you have to defend it. Some people draw a chalk circle to create the space between the defender and the can.

If the defender tags someone they go to a designated space. If someone other than the defender is able to kick the can they either win or free everyone else who was caught. Just depends on what rules was established at the beginning of the game. There have been some intense games I have played back in the day and wonder how I would hold up now. 

Flashlight Tag – Putting Your Stealth Skills To The Test 

Another fun outside game that my friends and I would play in the summer was flashlight tag. You have two sides. One who are the hunters and the others who are hiding. My childhood home was in a cul-de-sac. It was the perfect place to play flashlight tag. Plus, since most of the kids in the neighborhood were playing the game, there were tons of places where we could hide. During this game you were able to perfect your skills at staying still. There were times where people who were trying to find me and my team gave up because we had some fantastic hiding spots.   

Indoor Hoops – Like Mike 

Having a NERF hoop in your room was a must for kids in the 80’s and 90’s. I would look to copy dunks I would see Michael Jordan or Dominique Wilkins do in the NBA. My friends and I would challenge each other with a dunk contest or a game of HORSE. We would see who could dunk the furthest or have the best trick shot to out duel your opponent. No matter who won the dunk contest or game of HORSE, you definitely worked up sweat. 

King Of The Hill – Test Your Might 

This was a game that would test your strength. In my neighborhood there were a lot houses being built. That meant there a some mountains that were made just for us. We didn’t care that they were made of dirt. It was the perfect place to see who was the king of the hill. Just like kick the can, your head needs to be on a swivel. If people are trying to push you off the hill you got to make sure you hold your ground and take care of your space. It was a fun game that never got too heated since we didn’t have egos that would take over during the game. 

500 – AKA Jackpot

This was a game that you could still get your football fix in, even if you didn’t have enough players to play a full game. Some people call it jackpot, but my friends and I called it 500 for some reason. There is one quarterback and the rest of the players are on the opposite side of the yard acting as receivers. The object of the game was to be the first receiver to get 500 points. The QB would throw a pass up in the air and would call out a number value like, 100. Whoever caught that pass would get 100 points. There were times where the QB might yell a negative number and you would not look to catch the pass. Once someone got 500 points they became the QB. It was a game we used to play over and over.