A penguin (Manchots Royaux) walks on the basement area, early morning on December 25, 2022, at the Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic. (Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP Photo)

Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons rides a wave during the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games at the El Tunco beach in El Salvador on June 6, 2023. (Photo by Marvin Recinos/AFP Photo)

Steph Wood of the Lightning shoots as Remi Kamo of the Firebirds attempts to block her shot during the round 14 Super Netball match between Sunshine Coast Lightning and Queensland Firebirds at University of Sunshine Coast Stadium, on June 18, 2023, in Sunshine Coast, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Liz Clay competes against Michelle Jenneke in the Womens 100m Hurdles final during the 2024 Sydney Track Classic at ES Marks Athletic Field on March 23, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

A curious trio of owl monkeys peep out of a tree hollow on the Marañón River near the city of Nauta, Peru in April 2024. (Photo by James Cai/Solent News)

Afghan girls ride a donkey along a street in Argo district at Badakhshan province on July 30, 2024. (Photo by Omer Abrar/AFP Photo)

A man poses with a hyena along a street in Lagos, Nigeria November 4, 2008. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)

In a simpler time all a child or an adult needed to enjoy the outdoors was a ball and a stick. Or maybe an old tire tied to a high branch to fashion a swing. And the only instruction given to children was to “be home before dark”. Now there are iPads and computers and television screens and shrinking safe public spaces. But despite the distractions and limitations of space, these images show the charm of kicking a ball or skipping rope endures. Sometimes with modifications as a nod to changing times. Here: in this Saturday, June 20, 2015 photo, a boy runs while playing with a motorcycle wheel in Samugari, Ayacucho, Peru. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)