How to Give Your Kids a 90s Day
We grew up being told to go outside and figure it out. No itinerary, no scheduled activities, and no one standing by to redirect us when we got bored. And somehow, with a garden hose, a few bikes, and zero supervision, we were completely fine. Better than fine, actually. We were filthy and sunburned and totally happy.
At some point I decided my kids needed that day too.
At a Glance
Time: Full day (and overnight if you're doing the sleepover)
Activity Type: Unstructured outdoor play + sleepover
Parent Help Needed: Minimal (that's the whole point)
Start with a rule: they figure it out
The whole idea here is that you are handing them the day. Tell them in the morning that there's no TV, no tablets, and no "I'm bored" complaints that get to land on you. They go outside, and they figure it out.
This sounds terrifying, but it works.
If they need a nudge to get started, give them one starting point and walk away. Water balloons. A jump rope. A set of sidewalk chalk. The second you stop hovering, they'll figure out the rest.
Some things we did as kids that still hold up include kick the can, riding bikes (I even remember pulling friends on sleds behind them. Not safe, but extremely fun.), water balloon fights that somehow lasted all afternoon, fort building and sprinklers that everyone ran through with clothes still on.
The hose is a legitimate activity
I know this sounds ridiculous, but let them drink from the hose. Let them spray each other. Let them get completely soaked in their regular clothes and not care about it.
This is the thing that cost zero dollars and kept us outside for hours as kids. Nobody needs to explain it. Just turn it on and walk away.
Get friends or the neighborhood involved
This is the part that actually made a 90s day a 90s day. Round up whoever is around and let them figure out a game. Kick the can, freeze tag, ghost in the graveyard once it starts getting dark. If there are scooters, give them a bucket of sidewalk chalk and tell them to make an obstacle course. If they want to build a clubhouse, let them drag whatever they can find outside and put it together.
You do not need to organize any of this. That is the whole point. Hand them the supplies and let them figure it out.
Set them loose with a snack budget
One of the best parts of a 90s day is letting them pick their own snacks. Not from your pantry, from the store. Give them a budget (maybe $10 to $15), take them to the gas station or a grocery store, and let them pick whatever they want.
This is how you end up with Gushers, Dunkaroos, a Lunchable, a random orange soda, and an Airhead. Exactly right, no judgement, just fun.
The sleepover setup
This is where the day turns into a real memory. Whether it's siblings, cousins, or a few friends, get the sleeping bags out and let them take over a room. Floor only, bags everywhere, nobody in a real bed. That's the rule.
Build a fort if they want one. You can do blankets over chairs, pillows blocking the entrance, all their stuffed animals lined up and flashlights inside. Let them design it. This will take longer than anything else and they will care more about it more than the movie.
Here's the format that basically runs itself:
Pick a movie together. Give them a short list of 90s options and let them vote. Blank Check, Passport to Paris, The Little Rascals, Sandlot, Space Jam, Matilda, Richie Rich, Harriet the Spy. There are enough good ones that you can't really go wrong. One vote, majority rules, no negotiating after the decision is made.
Play MASH. If you don't remember how, write Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House at the top of a paper. Then add categories like who they'll marry, how many kids, what car they'll drive, where they'll live, what pet they’ll have, really whatever you want. Spiral count determines everything. It takes ten minutes and somehow always ends with someone marrying their least favorite person and living in a shack. Classic.
Do fortune tellers. The folded paper kind. If nobody in the room knows how to make one, just fold the first one yourself and hand it over. Watching it happen once is enough. They'll spend the next hour making them for everybody in the house.
Do a quiz. The dumb old magazine kind. What kind of dog are you, which Disney princess are you, which Hogwarts house are you. They are literally everywhere, so just search for one and print it out. One person reads the questions, everyone answers. Someone will get a result they completely disagree with and it will be talked about all night.
Turn on music. Put their favorite songs on and let them dance it out.
Keep your involvement to dropping off snacks
Your job tonight is to provide food and stay out of it. Make a plate or two of snacks, leave it in the room, and disappear. Check in once or twice. That's it.
This is the part millennial parents sometimes have trouble with. We want to be in there. But the magic of the sleepover is that it happens without us. The weird conversations, the dumb games, the staying up too late. That's the whole thing.
Want more 90s inspiration?
If you want a printed resource to pull from throughout the day, our 90s Summer Adventure Pack covers pretty much everything in this post. It has "I'm bored" cards for when they're stuck outside, a MASH sheet and fortune teller they can cut out and use at the sleepover, a sleepover planner if you want to give them a starting point, truth or dare cards, and a "What 90s Kid Are You?" quiz. There's also a page where they get to interview you about your own 90s childhood. Worth doing just to hear their reactions.
Print it before the day starts and give them inspiration when they need it.
They'll talk about this day for a while. Not because you planned anything elaborate, but because you didn't.
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