Play Like It's 1979™

Remember those childhood days of building forts from whatever you could find, creating entire worlds with just a few toys, and staying outside until someone called you in for dinner? That magical, unscripted play didn't just fill time—it built crucial life skills we're now seeing missing in younger generations.

When I stumbled across old photos of my brothers and me playing in the yard with nothing but our imaginations, it sparked a revelation. Our basement playroom wasn't Instagram-worthy—just concrete floors with an old carpet remnant—but it was where we spent hours creating, problem-solving, and entertaining ourselves without adult intervention. Looking at my own children's play habits made me wonder: what changed between my 1979 childhood and today?

The shift happened gradually through three major cultural changes: more dual-working households leaving fewer kids playing freely after school, the rise of "stranger danger" concerns limiting outdoor exploration, and technology introducing entertainment with predetermined outcomes rather than open-ended possibilities. Research now confirms what many of us intuitively sense—this loss of independent play has real consequences for development. My "Play Like It's 1979" approach offers practical strategies for modern parents: embracing the "boredom runway" where kids solve their own entertainment problems; using simple play prompts that spark creativity without taking over; and creating "yes spaces" where toys can stay out and play evolves naturally. These aren't just nostalgic indulgences—they're evidence-based approaches to developing the problem-solvers, creative thinkers, and emotionally resilient people our world needs. Ready to transform playtime in your house? Let's rediscover what we've lost and bring back the timeless magic of truly independent play.

Links to the studies mentioned in the episode:

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/3/e20182058/38649/The-Power-of-Play-A-Pediatric-Role-in-Enhancing

https://standtogether.org/stories/education/self-directed-play-is-essential-for-childrens-mental-health

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Chapters

• 0:00 Nostalgia for Unstructured Play
• 2:53 How Childhood Play Changed
• 4:58 Research on Independent Play Benefits
• 6:18 Play Like It's 1979 Philosophy
• 8:21 Challenge for Parents

Transcript

Charlene: 0:00

Have you ever looked at your kids glued to their tablets, wondering what happened to the days when we would play outside until the streetlights came on, or created games from our own imagination? Today, let's talk about why those days were so important and how bringing them back might just transform your family's playtime. Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles podcast, where toys spark imagination, learning and independent play. I'm Sharlee Deloach, a toy and play expert, but a mom just like you, navigating building blocks, puzzle pieces and snack crumbs every day, ever wondered which toy will actually get played with? Or how do I keep my child engaged without a screen? You're in the right place. From ready-day rescues to skill-building superstars, this is your go-to for honest toy recommendations, real talk and play ideas that work, ready to turn chaos into creativity. One toy at a time, then. Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles podcast. Welcome back to the Playroom Chronicles podcast. I'm Sharnley Deloach, and today we're hopping into a time machine heading straight back to 1979. No, not just for the funky fashion or the disco music though I'm definitely here for that but to reclaim something important that I think we have lost along the way the way our kids used to play.

Charlene: 1:19

A few years ago, I was visiting my parents and I started flipping through those old school photo albums you know the ones with the sticky pages and the Polaroids and one photo stood out it was my brothers and I playing outside. You could just see the big smiles on our face. I could see the toys all over the yard, the fort that we had built from all these different things, like from old pool floats and kites and all of it, and it reminded me how we kept ourselves entertained without the adults entertaining us. It also got me remembering the hours I would spend with my Fisher-Price little people creating elaborate towns. With my brothers, we even got excited when we got a piece of my grandparents' old carpet. It was green and worn, but to us it was just grass in this hard concrete basement. That had nothing special about it, but it sparked endless new adventures.

Charlene: 2:18

No one told us how to play or guided us. We just used our imagination and kept ourselves entertained and had fun, and we did it in a space that didn't require us to pick up. Our toys were out and seen and we play without our parents having to play with us, and it made me pause in that moment and think to how my kids were playing at the time wondering why they weren't playing like this. What had changed? Had I done something differently, without realizing it, that shifted how they played? At the time I felt guilty if I wasn't entertaining them constantly. But this realizing made me change my whole approach, both as a parent and as a toy reviewer.

Charlene: 2:59

Today our kids lives look so different. Every minute, minute seems planned, playdates are supervised and screens are everywhere, and if your kid says I'm bored, we instantly jump in to fix it, feeling guilty if we're not playing or entertaining them at every moment. But I got curious how do we lose that independent, spontaneous play and what does it mean to have lost it? Well, let's talk about how this might have happened, and in my opinion, I think three major changes impacted it. And it started right after the late 1970s. First, more parents started working full-time in the 1980s Both parents too and I remember suddenly noticing how fewer kids were outside after school, because many of them became the term latchkey kids, going straight from school to daycare or structured activities instead of roaming freely through the neighborhood.

Charlene: 3:56

The spontaneous adventures of climbing trees or riding bikes seemed to vanish almost overnight. And secondly, I vividly remember the era of stranger danger. News reports about missing children understandably made parents anxious, including my own. My mom, who had been carefree about us playing outside in the yard, suddenly had rules about us staying close to home and checking in frequently, and this shift tightened supervision and shrank the freedom we had for independent play. And then third technology entered the picture Remember Atari. So video games and digital toys came with set rules, specific goals and predefined outcomes. Now I enjoy video games, but their structured formats means kids spend less time creating their own stories, key parts of the open-ended play that defines childhood.

Charlene: 4:53

Now these shifts weren't just cultural. They've actually started to worry pediatricians, teachers and even employers. They're noticing real consequences as young people struggle with essential skills like creativity, problem solving and managing emotions has sparked important studies to better understand the role independent play has in healthy development. So one of those studies is in pediatrics and it found that unstructured play, like from the 1970s, helps kids build essential life skills like the problem solving, managing emotions and social interactions. Another study from a gentleman from Boston College has shown that kids who play independently develop stronger creativity and adaptability. Now I'll link to these studies in the show notes and in the blog post, but in essence, after three decades of these cultural shifts gradually reducing opportunities for independent play. We have unintentionally created a generation that struggles with these important life skills. We've unintentionally created a generation that struggles with these important life skills.

Charlene: 6:04

Now, inspired by these experiences and the concerns being raised by experts, I created a new model that now guides my parenting this podcast and my website, right along with my Think Outside the Toy Box. It's called Play Like it's 1979. And here's how you can bring this philosophy to life at home. First, up the boredom runway. So one day my son complained he's like Mom, I'm bored Now. Instead of offering an iPad or having to play for the next hour, this time I just said, hmm, that's interesting, I wonder how you'll fix that. And then I walked away. Now the next 20 minutes were tough. He followed me around, whining, wanted the iPad, wanted me to play with him, but then something amazing happened he went off and created his own obstacle course. He ended up solving his burden without any help.

Charlene: 6:49

Now, with my daughter, I tried some scaffolding play prompts. So instead of sitting down and playing with her, or telling her just to go play and have her get stuck staring at her toys, I gently nudged her creativity. I said something like I just saw your fairies and they said they want some new flowers for their garden. Can you make some flowers? And then suddenly, that simple prompt opened up a whole world for her. While she made flowers out of magnet tiles and crayon drawings, she helped create a story that was uniquely her own, just like we used to do back in 1979 when playtime was powered by imagination.

Charlene: 7:27

And lastly, remembering my own childhood basement play area that was definitely not Pinterest-worthy, nothing fancy. I don't think there was any furniture in there, just some open shelves that they got from some flea market and a concrete floor and eventually that old carpet remnant. But it was this. We could do whatever we want in that space. So I decided to create a yes space, if you will, in my home. It was a spot with minimal rules, like just be safe and be kind and don't break stuff, but they can leave out their toys without me nagging them to clean them up, and this freedom changed their play entirely. They would spend days building and rearranging things, just like I used to, and seeing my kids find joy in independent play confirmed what the research said the magic isn't gone. It just needs intentional space and encouragement from us parents, not entertainment from us parents.

Charlene: 8:20

So here's my challenge for you this week.

Charlene: 8:23

Number one try the boredom one way.

Charlene: 8:25

When your kid says they're bored, don't jump in or hand them the iPad.

Charlene: 8:29

Let them figure it out. Or offer some scaffolding play prompts like I did. Give them simple tasks or ideas and then step away. Or create a yes space, a designated area in your home where mess is okay and play can continue freely without constant cleanup. I love to hear which of these strategies you try this week. Tag me on social media, share your experiences or drop me a message and let's inspire each other to bring back playtime 1979 style. And if you're eager to foster even more independent and creative play at home, make sure you subscribe to this podcast. You'll get tons of practical tips, toy insights and encouragement to transform your family's playtime. We spent a whole generation feeling guilty if we weren't playing or entertaining our kids every waking moment, but now we know better. By letting our kids play independently, we're actually nurturing problem solvers, creative thinkers and confident kids. So let go of that guilt, step back from being your kid's constant entertainer and let them discover play like it's 1979, because the timeless magic of play truly never goes out of style.