Readers ask: What Did Families Do For Fun During The Great Depression?
With little money to spend on entertainment, families enjoyed new board games such as “Monopoly” and “Scrabble” which were first sold during the 1930s. Neighbors got together to play card games such as whist, pinochle, canasta and bridge. Some families had fun putting together puzzles with hundreds of pieces.
What entertainment was there during the Great Depression?
Many who could not afford books or periodicals spent time reading in libraries. Inexpensive amusements included backyard games, puzzles, card games, and board games such as Monopoly, which was introduced in 1935. Even the national pastime, baseball, changed profoundly during the Great Depression.
How did people find joy during the Great Depression?
Neighbors got together to play cards and other games and to talk. Church socials and school programs gave people a chance to visit and maybe meet someone new. Soda fountains and local dances gave young people a chance to enjoy themselves and to go on dates.
What was the most popular leisure activity during the Great Depression?
People could relax and forget about the hard times, or they could talk about their difficulties. The most common group pastime was probably baseball. People all over America and in Yelm played baseball quite frequently. Every chance they got, they would get together to play.
What was family like in the Great Depression?
During the Great Depression, family lives changed drastically. Women worked while men stayed home, and families moved often, trying to find more work. People counted on soup kitchens and bread lines for food, but on a positive note, families did spend more time together.
What did people eat during the Great Depression?
Chili, macaroni and cheese, soups, and creamed chicken on biscuits were popular meals. In the 70 or more years since the Great Depression, a lot has changed on the farms of rural America.
What was school like for kids on the farms during the Great Depression?
Some farm kids attended school during the Great Depression. In some rural areas the school was just a single room with a number of grades being taught by the same teacher. Children often had to walk a long way to school. This became dangerous during the winter months and during dust storms.
What good came out of the Great Depression?
“Underneath the misery of the Great Depression, the United States economy was quietly making enormous strides during the 1930s. Television and nylon stockings were invented. Refrigerators and washing machines turned into mass-market products. Railroads became faster and roads smoother and wider.
How did entertainment grow in the Great Depression?
With the addition of sound, movies became increasingly popular. Comedies, gangster movies, and musicals helped people forget their troubles. In the early 1940s, some of the great dramas of American film reached theaters. Radio was also wildly popular, offering many kinds of programs, from sermons to soap operas.
What did people do for fun in the 1920s?
More activities included playing board games, watching movies, listening to the radio, and reading. They played a lot of board games as families, like using the Ouija board and playing Hokum and Tiddledy Winks. They watched movies now because they started playing movies with sound that was made in 1923.
What was a cheap way to escape from reality during the Great Depression?
Attending movies, listening to the radio, dancing to live music, and reading cheap magazines or books containing sensational or gruesome material, popularly known as pulp fiction, allowed people to escape from the uncertainties, anxieties, and loss of self esteem associated with the Depression years.
What did kids play in the 1930s?
Checkers, chess and ring-toss were also often played. More open-ended games such as hide-and-seek, tag and Simon Says were also popular, in part, because they were free and could be played anywhere by anyone. Children also spent time outdoors in neighborhood settings and engaged in imaginative, open play.
