Your best childhood memories?

[SmallPeachKoala]

I’d love to hear your favourite childhood memories — whether they were special treats, family traditions, favourite toys, days out, or anything else that stands out.

Even though children today have so much entertainment and so many experiences available to them, I’ve noticed that the memories people treasure most often come from the simplest moments. (But please share yours even if they were bigger or more elaborate!)

I’m looking for ideas to implement with my own children — and hopefully others may get some ideas too. Thank you!

Hanging out with my cousins especially at Christmas and Easter

My memory of my first moment is, I hard been fed by mum and put into a pram to sleep. I was strapped in and could only see the sky. The clouds really interested me. Then I must have drifted off..

On Saturdays my dad used to take me up to his sister's farm. I'd help out collecting eggs or feeding piglets etc. My cousins and I also got up to some things that would break health and safety rules nowadays but this was the 70s.

One of mine is quite a simple one. It was the Christmas holidays a few days before Christmas and we had fish and chips for dinner. I remember going in the car with my Dad and sisters to fetch them as our local one was closed that day. My Mum let us all eat them in the living room in front of the telly which was a massive thing in our house as we always had to sit at the kitchen table or dining room table to eat. I remember the Christmas tree in the corner of the room and we were watching the cartoon of Watership Down, and just feeling happy and excited for Christmas. Would have been the 1980’s. I can still see it in my head.

My favourite memories of being a child was when I spent almost every summer weekend at the home of my best friend.
Her avenue was always full of kids, where I lived as an only child, there were no neighbourhood kids.
The fun we had! When I was a little older I remember her dad spent his Saturday mornings off listening to his collection of jazz recordings.
I remember really enjoying it too, and to this day it's one of my favourite genres of music.
Every summer my dad and I would drive many miles to visit his parents in their cottage.
I had wonderful times hiking, spending time with my granddad, walking down to the lake, and as their only grandchild I was treated very specially!

Going on the bus to town with my nana, going up in the lift in a department store, having a glass of orange squash in a cafe and coming back home on the bus.

Caravan holidays with my parents and two sisters. I loved it in the evenings when they would put on the wee electric fire and we’d have toast. The toast at the caravan always tasted better than anywhere else and when I smell those electric fires I’m taken right back to cosy nights in caravans.
Family birthdays and Christmas were always really special. on Christmas morning dad would go down to see if Santa had been and we would wait eagerly for him to call up ‘he’s been’.
My gran used to babysit us. She was a cleaner in a pub and would take us to work. We would just sit at the tables and colour but we could choose a song from the jukebox and get a fizzy drink which we were usually not allowed. She also took us to bingo and we would get to play along (obviously not really!) with her used cards.

Playing out in the village with my brother (18 months older than me) and our friends. We were out all day and came home when we were hungry. We picked apples, went fishing in the pond and rode our trikes and bikes for miles (maybe two!) to neighbouring farms to pick up sacks of potatoes and bring them home on our handlebars in bags. I was four when I was allowed out with them all. I remember feeling very grown up. Also going to Wimpy with my two much older siblings (16 years and 14 years older) and having a Knickerbocker glory. Simpler times and somehow felt safer than today. We got the odd scrape but knew how to look after ourselves. This was in the 70's

Spending time with my cousins: BBQs, picnics, sleepovers, making up dances to show the adults etc.

Going to the bakery with my dad to pick up croissants every Saturday morning, after my church class.

Camping with the extended family.

Holidays to visit my cousins abroad.

Christmas at my Aunt and Uncle's house with their extended family
Picnics in the local park
Days at the beach
Playing board games with my mum

One of my faves is sitting in front of the fire grill at my granny's on the floor. She bought me a jar of buttons to play with and tipped them out on the floor. I was like but how does she know (how much that was what I needed)?!

Playing card games with my Dad, also pestering him as soon as he got in the door to play badminton with me. He'd go and eat some cheese and bread then come out and we'd play until we could barely see the shuttlecock or tell if it was a shuttle or a bat flying around in the dark, then come indoors and I'd go to bed.

My parents were really good at making sure we had frequent days out such as theme parks etc and holidays, always the uk never abroad but every summer and some half terms we’d go away, usually camping, sometimes caravan, sometimes family who lived at the other side of England. I remember all of this and it’s nice

Another one I just remembered, we had a really big family, aunts, great aunts, cousins etc I remember christenings being a big celebration with everyone and every Christmas we used to rent a hall and do Christmas with everyone