This is how I’d answer this question: fresh air and playing outside instead of sitting in front of a TV or staring at a phone!
Now that I aired my grievance, let’s hear from AskReddit users about this.
1. Have some fun.
“Unstructured playtime outside with others that are a variety of ages.
Not under the eyes of an adult.”
2. I agree.
“Typing classes.
Most Gen Z/Alpha kids grew up with tablets and maybe a laptop, no desktops. Teachers assume they know how to type, but they’ve only done it with their thumbs, they don’t have the muscle memory for a traditional keyboard.
The ability to type on a physical keyboard is really important in the working world, and a lot fewer kids can do it well these days. We need to bring back typing classes, along with how file/folder/directory systems work in general, a lot of college students don’t know how to use them!”
3. Playtime.
“Toys that were just toys. Not everything had to be educational.
Just let kids play and explore and discover. Let them get bored.”
4. The best.
“Playing outside in the neighborhood.
I remember when i was a kid, everywhere you went kids were running around outside. Even going down the streets to friends houses. I remember all the time as a young dude going around and just being a kid playing outside.
They were great adventures. Today I dont see many kids doing that at all. Tbh it would almost be to sketchy to allow kids to do what we did even 20 years ago.”
5. Enjoy the beauty.
“The outdoors without electronics.
We have nature trails that border where I work and when I see people out “enjoying” the great outdoors most of them have their faces buried in their phones.
There is so much beauty in nature and being able to observe it can teach a person a lot.”
6. A big one.
“Accountability! Especially in schools.
In my district they think it’s unfair to the children and can hurt a child’s self esteem if they’re held back in school. So, even if they never do a single assignment, flunk every class, and learn nothing they advance to the next grade.
Because of this I have 6th graders who don’t know how to spell anything, don’t know punctuation, have no idea what to do with commas, and have no clue that they need to capitalize the first letter of a sentence. They don’t know how to write a paragraph. They are disrespectful to teachers and just don’t care because it doesn’t matter if they flunk. It is just sad.”
7. Definitely.
“Less influence from the internet.
The internet is a fantastic thing, the ability to meet people easily and quickly from all over the world, and a wealth of knowledge. But all of that info can also be a downside, especially when it comes down to anything medical related.
I know my generation jokes a lot how WebMD will have Cancer for any pain you have. I grew up being taught that the internet isn’t always right and to search around, problem solve.
IMO kids these days don’t have much problem solving skills, or don’t bother, and just believe 100% of what they see/read. A lot of kids self diagnose themselves with whatever they see on the internet.”
8. It is insane.
“Privacy.
From the moment they’re all born their pics, good, bad and embarrassing moments are put on socials.
It’s insane to me.”
9. The best!
“Snow days.
Yes, online classes are now a thing but something about nostalgia and waking up finding out school is cancelled because of snow day.
Go out sledding with friends, building snow forts and snow balls, and watching a movie with hot chocolate.”
10. Amen!
“Less influence from people they do not know personally.
YouTubers had more involvement in my childhood emotional growth than my own parents. I agree with you.”
11. Be a kid.
“Freedom to be silly, goofy, dumb and cringe without it being broadcast to, or injected into us from, the internet, 24/7.
They could use some alone time to be cringe and goofy together without being watched by the entire planet all the time.”
12. Good one.
“I’d say freedom and independence.
Freedom to get hurt, make a dumb decision, learn from it, problem solve on your own, make plans with your buddies. My childhood memories are like adventures.
From sunrise to street lights the world felt like it was ours. Just completely disconnected and unplugged from the world.”
Now we want to hear from you.
Tell us what you think about this in the comments.
Thanks a lot!
