Tourists play at a beach covered by a thick layer of green algae on July 3, 2013 in Qingdao, China. A large quantity of non-poisonous green seaweed, enteromorpha prolifera, hit the Qingdao coast in recent days. More than 20,000 tons of such seaweed has been removed from the city's beaches. (Photo by China Foto Press)

A woman walks past servicemen of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), who take part in a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Donetsk, Ukraine on May 3, 2018. (Photo by Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Japan's Naomi Osaka visits Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary ahead of the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 29, 2023. (Photo by Patrick Hamilton/AFP Photo)

Gold medallist Suzanne Schulting of Team Netherlands celebrates with Bronze medallist Hanne Desmet of Team Belgium after the Women's 1000m Final A on day seven of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 11, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Tiril Eckhoff of Norway in action during the Women's Biathlon 4x6km Relay race at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre at the Beijing ​2022 Olympic Games, Zhangjiakou, China, 16 February 2022. (Photo by Martin Divísek/EPA/EFE)

Australia's Matthew Ebden, left, and Jordan Thompson celebrate their victory against Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton of the United States, during their doubles tennis quarterfinal Davis Cup match at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, November 21, 2024. (Photo by Manu Fernandez/AP Photo)

A girl pours water over a dog to cool it down, in the rebel held besieged town of Douma, eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria, June 23, 2016. (Photo by Bassam Khabieh/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)