Boomer & Gen X Kids Played 8 Games Growing Up That Most People Today Would Think Are Very Strange

A look back at playtime for boomer y Gen X children highlights games that many people today would find unusual, but that helped build skills like memory, strategy and social interaction. The list includes Hūsker Dū? (from the 1970s, with face-down cards and a spinning wheel asking players to recall images), Cat’s Cradle using just string, and Pinochle, a trick-taking game that can last 30 to 40 minutes. It also covers Click Clacks (later rebranded as Newton’s Yo Yo), and Red Rover, where kids form two opposing lines and try to break the chain by calling for a runner. The article frames these as childhood classics.