Do you have any memories of playing games on your parent’s computer, or on the elementary school iPads and Macs, or even going over to a friend’s house and playing games on their Wii? Maybe even when you used to play kickball out at recess, walk across the planks that bordered the school playground, or playing four square with your friends?
Nostalgia is like a needle that causes you comfort rather than pain, and often brings back these memories you don’t think about much anymore.
Video Games
There were quite a few games we all grew up on through school, and many of them you can find on the NKCSchools student links site. However, there were many others not associated with the school district, or that necessarily had any educational value at all, that can be included in the list.
- ABCYA
- Angry Birds Series
- Club Penguin
- Cool Math Games
- Kingdom Hearts
- Legend of Zelda Series
- Lego Friends
- Lego Ninjago
- Lego Star Wars
- NewGrounds
- Pokémon Series
- Purble Place
- Prodigy
- Raz-Kids
- RuneScape
- Sonic the Hedgehog Series
- Starfall
- Super Mario Series
- ToonTown
TV Shows
PBS, in general and as the staple channel, single handedly fueled childhoods with its assortments of educational cartoons. Some of the more well-known ones are:
- Alma’s Way
- Arthur
- Caillou
- Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Curious George
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
- Dinosaur Train
- Let’s Go, Luna!
- Martha Speaks
- Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
- Odd Squad
- Peg + Cat
- Pinkalicious and Peterrific
- Sesame Street
- Sid the Science Kid
- The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That
- Wild Kratts
- Word Girl
For non-educational shows, Nickelodeon, Disney XD, and Cartoon Network supplied both animated and live action cartoons.
- Adventure Time
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Bubble Guppies
- Danny Phantom
- Ever After High
- Fairly Odd Parents
- Gravity Falls
- Henry Danger
- iCarly
- Jessie
- Jimmy Neutron
- KC Undercover
- Kim Possible
- Kipper the Dog
- Lego Ninjago
- Lego Elves
- Max and Ruby
- Mia and Me
- Monster High
- My Little Pony
- Phineas and Ferb
- Power Puff Girls
- Rolie Polie Olie
- Sam and Cat
- Spongebob
- Spy Kids
- Steven Universe
- Team Umizoomi
- The Garfield Show
- The Thundermans
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- Yo Gabba Gabba!
Toys
In the early 2000s, a lot of kids toy brands either popped up, or became more popular. Below is a less lengthy list of toys you’d often see in places like Walmart, Toys-R-Us, and Target.
- Barbie
- Beyblades
- Bionicle
- Bratz Dolls
- Easy Bake Oven
- Leapfrog Leapster
- Lego Elves Sets
- Lego Friends Sets
- Lego Ninjago Sets
- Lego (In general)
- LPS (Littlest Pet Shop)
- Monster High Dolls
- Pillow Pets
- Play-Doh
- Pokémon TCG Cards
- Shopkins
- Squishmallows
- Tech Deck Fingerboards
- Temporary Tattoos
- Ty Beanie Babies
Books
Another important factor of childhood were the books we were exposed to. Within every elementary school library, you were bound to see:
- Big Nate
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Dork Diaries
- Goosebumps
- Ivy and Bean
- Judy Moody
- Junie B. Jones Series
- Little House on the Prairie
- Magic Treehouse
- Percy Jackson
- Pete The Cat
- Ramona series by Beaverly Cleary
- The Adventures of Captain Underpants
- The Baby Sitters Club
- The Pigeon Series by Mo Willems
- Warrior Cats Series by Erin Hunter
- Wings of Fire
Hopefully, this article took you on a trip down memory lane to remember things from your childhood. Keep in mind that, even though we’re on our way to being adults now, and no matter how others may look at you, continuing to find joy in what made you happy as a kid isn’t childish at all. It’s better to proudly associate yourself with the past rather than neglect it for a better chance of fitting in.
