I have noticed as a teacher that some games and songs that I knew as a kid are still relevant to kids today. This is surprising because I thought that some things would go out of fashion eventually, or that new ones would become prevalent.

For example, a few of my students have discovered the song, “If you wanna be my lover” by Spice Girls and were shocked when I was able to join in. Spice Girls was around when I was little, and it is interesting that it would come back as a fad when their songs no longer play on the radio or in movies. Other students have just started listening to Britney Spears, “Toxic,” – this probably appears in Spotify or other music apps when they play current Britney Spears.  I understand that parents would pass down some eighties songs since that is the era they grew up in, but I’m uncertain how some music randomly repeats from generation to generation.

Games being passed down is a very cool part of children growing up! Parents continue to teach their children games they played as a kid, and so on. Some of the activities might be taught by older siblings or friends who have learned them. One game is called “Ninja” and you have to try and hit the other person’s arms or legs with only one sweeping motion – it was very fun to see the kids playing a game that I use to play as a kid 🙂

On the other hand, TV shows sometimes repeat and sometimes skip generations. “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” will not repeat because the show ended and there are no re-runs left showing. However, “Full House” and “Sesame Street” are either still running or continue to show old episodes. With Netflix and Hulu, there are many older programs available for the children today.

My students are always shocked when they realize that they were not to find a song/TV show or invent a game. Generational continuances connect everyone together – it is how our society bonds and passes on traditions.