In the 1950s, children had fun in a way that seems inconceivable to us today. There were no video games at the time, and even children’s television programming was at a bare minimum, as the medium was still in its infancy. Despite these limitations, they often spent more time outside and engaged more creatively. Since fewer people owned cars and less traffic, it was much safer. There were also more straightforward toys for children to play with. Instead of computer games, they played football, hula hoops, skipping ropes and cards.
The lives of children in the 1950s were very different from those of children today. Many left schools earlier, starting work at 14, and far fewer people went on to further education.
Steve Given captured these fantastic photos of what children did for fun in the 1950s.
