21 Things Every ‘90s Kid Did On The Weekend

There were a few things in the '90s that were sure to make a kid happy: pizza parties, getting to watch episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy, and when the bell rang on Friday afternoons. Saturdays and Sundays were filled with all the things every '90s kid did on the weekend, and it never got old. Less time with schoolwork and more time with friends made for memories that last a lifetime. In fact, to this very day, I can remember the satisfaction of waking up at 10:00 a.m. to the smell of bacon and the sound of cartoons coming from the living room. Those were the days. As an adult, I wake up at 6:00 a.m. — without an alarm. Think about that.

I long for the carefree weekends of my childhood, before bills and mortgages, before doing endless loads of laundry and fighting the crowds at the grocery store. Seriously, people. Push your cart on the right side of the aisle. This is not too much to ask. Please and thank you.

All jokes aside, life is good for me, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. But that doesn't mean I don't miss late morning episodes of Rugrats, racing around the neighborhood on my bike, and these 21 things a lot of us did on the weekends as kids in the '90s.

1. Kicking It Off With TGIF TV

Thank goodness it's Friday — because that means episodes of Full House, Family Matters, and Perfect Strangers. Best. TV. Lineup. Ever.

2. Sleeping In So Late, Your Parents Started To Worry

"Good morning, sweetheart. Just checking in to make sure you're still alive."

3. Saturday Morning Cartoons, Heck Yes

Nothing beat shuffling into the living room on a Saturday morning with disheveled hair and your favorite blankie for some of the best Saturday morning 'toons.

4. Frozen Waffles For Breakfast, Because There No Rules

Well-rounded diet? Yes. My waffles are round.

5. Staying In Your Pajamas Until Lunch

And the only reason you changed was because your parents said you couldn't play outside in your jammies.

6. Video Games With The Neighbors

Donkey Kong and Mario Kart for the win!

7. Play Time Until The Street Lights Came On

Back before smartphones and Instagram, we actually spoke to people.

8. Sleepovers & Building Forts

Not going to lie. I've built forts as a grown adult because this will never stop being cool.

9. Staying Up Late To Watch Nick At Night

We were huge I Love Lucy fans. It was the highlight of our night.

10. Mass Clean-Out Of Your Bedroom

And by bedroom, I'm clearly referring to your Caboodle.

11. No Rules At Snack Time

These days, kids' snacks have to be non-GMO and organic. Back in the day, we ate cookies dipped in frosting.

12. Fighting With Your Siblings

"SHE BIT ME."

"SHE BIT ME FIRST."

13. Neighborhood-Sized Games Of Hide & Go Seek

If we wanted to be extra sneaky, we'd tell a kid to go hide and then we'd never look for them.

14. Waiting Until The Last Minute To Do Homework

This ranks right under fighting with our siblings on our parents' list called "Things I Despise The Most."

15. Playing Mad Libs On Sunday Morning

C’mon, don’t you remember sitting with your siblings or friends writing totally random verbs, nouns, and adjectives in the blank lines? I mean, the more random, the funnier they always turned out.

16. Predict Your Future Spouse & Children With M.A.S.H.

Future spouse, future location, future job, the number of children you will have, and the type of car you will drive are all things that M.A.S.H predicted. And in that moment, you knew it would come true.

17. Renting A Movie At Blockbuster For Saturday Night

Though there’s only one Blockbuster left in the entire world, there were thousands in the ‘90s. And every week, nearing the weekend, you and your parents would head to the video store to pick out which movie you’d watch on Saturday night.

18. Paper Fortune Teller (AKA “Cootie Catcher”)

If you were hanging out with a group of friends, you definitely made a cootie catcher.

19. Meeting Up With Friends At The Mall Food Court

If your parents dropped you off alone at the mall to ~hang~ with the other kids wearing plaid skirts and tank tops, you were in the cool crowd. What was even cooler? If you guys took the party to the food court.

20. Create A Mixtape For Your Crush

Your crush definitely bragged about it to all of their friends for the next month.

21. Check In With Friends On AOL Messenger

Before iMessage was ever a thing, you had AOL messenger. And trust me, it was a lot simpler back then.