Share the everyday childhood memories that make you smile - £300 voucher to win NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

When you think back to your childhood, do you have nostalgic memories of everyday life with your parents that give you a lovely warm glow? Cadbury’s Buttons have asked us to find out about the memories of everyday childhood experiences – the shared moments that put a smile on your face years later.

So, what fond family memories always make you smile? Is it getting a piggy back after a long day, or collecting conkers with your Dad? Maybe it’s learning to bake or having a picnic with your Mum? Perhaps it’s all sitting down to a proper roast dinner on a Sunday? Whatever your childhood memories are, please do share them below.

All MNers who post on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

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Thanks, and good luck!

MNHQ

Every Sunday teatime, we all went to my Gran and Grandad's. They had 5 children, and each had 2-4 children, so it was a large gathering and there were plenty of aunts, uncles and cousins to play with. They lived on a farm and I remember all crowding round the table for tea. In the summer evenings we'd go for walks through the fields and in winter get cosy in front of the fire. Happy times.

Being pushed down the garden by my Grandad (who I called Papa because I could not say Grandad properly) in his wheelbarrow, it was so much fun he pushed me so fast. Also swinging high in the walnut tree on a swing in the tree he had made for me out of wood and rope....no swing comes near to that one I grew up with.

Playing with my sister and brother. I have great memories of playing schools, mummies, restaurant, shop etc with my siblings. We would play with our imagination and toys for hours.

Also we were lucky we grew up in a small safe village, we were able to play out with our friends and be called in for dinner. During the spring and summer months I don't remember ever being in. It makes me sad really my son has a different childhood due to unsafe area.

We had very close family friends who visited a few times a year. I was the oldest of the children, and we would always put on a play where I was the director, writer?narrator, casting director, and costume put-togetherer. The younger ones would make posters and tickets whilst I wrote the script (that never got followed) and made the costumes (ie. raided my massive fancy dress wardrobe).

The plays nearly always had 3 princesses/fairies and a pirate, and we're always terrible. The parents found it hilarious though, and it still makes us laugh.

When we (parents and sister) went camping by a lake in the summer. Must have been around 3/4 years old. Lots of playing in the water, visiting castles, fairgrounds.....

Lots of board games, including HeroQuest.

I loved doing science experiments from Usborne books, especially those which needed a willing volunteer. I often did them on my brother; I'd make sure he couldn't see anything, and I'd test if he could tell the difference between apple and raw potato while he held his nose; if his ears could help him point to where I was when I clapped; if he could identify objects by feeling them with his feet, and then with his hands.

(He was always willing to take part, but he would always peep if he could, so I had to blindfold him very carefully!)

My mum doing my hair before school every morning.
Beating my younger brother at Street fighter first try and watching him get cross because I just won by pressing all the buttons and not doing it Properly.
Riding my bike with my friends down country lanes as fast as we could go.
Picking blackberries as a family and then 'helping' Mum bake them into a pie.
Putting my feet over the bridge and dipping them into the ford one a hot summer day.
Dad waking me up early on holiday while everyone else was still asleep and going on a bike ride to a bakery to bring everyone back fresh hot pain au chocolate for breakfast.
Running around in the garden with the sprinkler on on a hot day with our bare feet tickled by the grass.
Hearing the ice cream truck and making my uncle run after it for us.

Staying at my nan and grandad's house when we where small. 3 of us plus nan in the double bed and grandad sleeping in the box room with his alarm clock. Nan would read to us and in the morning grandad would cook us a full English breakfast before we went out for the day. She reads the same books to my children now, doing the voices the same.

Another one was holidaying with all of my cousins, sharing bunk beds and playing games all day. Even taking turns to carry the youngest cousin around as his buggy had been left at home.

I had a lovely childhood.

I have so many fond memories from childhood my dad would sometimes come in from work with loads of penny sweets and he would say to all six children sweet Scrabble and would throw all the penny sweets up in the air we would all frantically crawl all over the floor trying to grab the sweets. Poor mum would then have to be the one to calm us all day and share the sweets out equally in little bowls one fried egg for you one pink taken for you one fruit salad for you etc.

I used to make collections of different things - erasers, key rings, bookmarks etc. My mum would always help me look for things to add when we went out for the day. I used to love sitting counting how many I had of each one.

My mum and I used to spend some girly time together each week baking. Neither of us were or are any good at it so each week we would end up with rock hard bread, nicknamed brick bread, shortbread that just fell apart and something usually got burnt, still at least we tried

Coming home from school to find the front door slightly ajar and a note on the floor giving me a clue where to look next. After a hunt all over the house there would be a chocolate treat at the end. My Mum did this quite often and we both really enjoyed it.

Trips to the seaside when we had to take two buses and then a train and then walk to get to the beach. So worth it to spend the whole day there with a picnic. (Loved it when I grew up and I could take my parents in my car - such a treat to get there so easily.)

Going on holidays (never abroad) in the ancient car, packed to the brim with bags and setting out incredibly early to beat the rush. Sleeping in the back seat wedged in next to a giant coolbox and boxes of food so we didn't have to spend money on eating out. Playing on the beach and getting stuck in a deck chair.

I used to take my tape re order everywhere. One of my earliest memories is recording mum and dad under the table. They obviously knew but I thought I was so crafty!

sleeping in the double bed in the spare room with my sister and brother as a treat :)
going to the park for a picnic
walking along the beach at our beautiful holiday in wales
sitting and watching tv with us piled on top of each on the sofa
coming in from school and us three get our bowl of cereal and settling in for after shcoll kids tv
going to grans and standing on our stools to bake.then having fried egg and macains mircrwave chips
going to grandpas to sleep and my cousins would come for a sleepover.and grans would leave Ribena outside our rooms for the next day.
having a roast at grandparents and then chocolate sauce and ice cream
afternoon after a roast. the warm glow of sunday evening comes in and sittign with everyone in the warming lights of the lounge for tv time. and mum would bring in scones or leftover roast in sandwhiches.
getting up with brother and lying before the parents got up on the sofa together wrapped in a blanket ( I look at this sofa now and wonder how we fit!!)

I really loved hanging upside down on the bench, tree, basically anything you could hand from... and watch people pass by. Those were moments when you could stop your time and see how things are moving around. Like in films ^^

My favourite memory is baking with my Mum, and it makes me even fonder because I now do that with my own children and really enjoy it.

I remember going to the sweet shop and choosing 1/4 oz of sweets from the jar. Best treat ever!

Going rowing on the 'lake' at Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham with our father (who rowed at uni) whilst DM made Sunday lunch.

Feeding our cats marmite sandwiches and chocolate cake.

Playing on building sites and in graveyards.

Going off on picnics down disused railway lines and along canals...

Having 'high tea' rather than a cooked dinner (when we were little).

The sound of the ice cream van coming on his rounds as he pulled onto the estate. The mad dash, running to get there before he left. And the fact that Mum had saved up enough to send us with a bowl - to get scoops for everyone. We all used to sit around the bowl, spoons in hand, tucking in to lovely ice cream smothered in raspberry ripple sauce. What a memory!

Making mud pies in the garden and feeding them to whichever poor relative was near by.

Building tree houses in the woods with a gang of friends. Collecting provisions for the kitchen from the surrounding area- raspberry and bramble bushes and cooking apples which were sour but inviting.

Weeing in bushes and returning home caked in mud and with a head full of adventures!

We didnt have alot of money when we were growing up so at xmas time Mum would wrap our old dolls and gave us..we would be looking forward to see our glitter wrappers,just the thought of having glitter wrappers meant alot..it was more than enough for us...

When I had a cold my Mum would make me a mug of hot chocolate in a glass mug. I remember so clearly lying in bed and hearing her ring clink on the handle as she carried it through. Then she'd tell me the story of Greyfriars Bobby snuggled up in bed.

I've got a cold at the moment - tempted to call my Mum up and get her to recreate the above!

Water fights! I remember playing outside in the garden in the heat and having loads of fun with my siblings and dad with water :)