Each generation may have a slightly different take on fun, depending on what kinds of toys and activities they have available and depending on where they live, but there’s usually one thing that’s true of children – their imagination is what really makes the activities extra fun.

Lots of toys leave the fun open-ended. For example, kids can have tea parties with their stuffed animals or take them on a wild adventure around the backyard.

Really, kids don’t even need toys to have a good time if they use their imagination. Have you ever noticed how entertained kids are with a simple cardboard box? It can become anything from a doll house to a spaceship.

Times have certainly changed, and while it’s no surprise that what we did for fun when we were kids is slightly different than what our parents did for fun when they were kids, what’s most interesting is just how different “fun” is for today’s children.

What’s changed? Technology. When our parents were growing up, they didn’t have cell phones or cable TV. They didn’t have tablets or video games. Maybe we’re dating ourselves, but we didn’t have some of those things either, and we definitely didn’t have 24/7 access to the internet via data and WiFi.

How is technology affecting the younger generation? That’s what Nature Valley wanted to know. They went about their research in a very simple yet effective way. They sat down with three generations and asked them all the same question: What did you like to do for fun as a kid?

The older generations answered the question as you might expect. They talked about building forts and playing outside.

Then it came time to ask the younger generation, the children of today, “What do you like to do for fun?” Their answers were very different than the answers their parents and grandparents gave. See how they answered this simple question (and how their parents and grandparents reacted to their answers) in the video below.

After watching this ad, we want to pull our kids away from their screens and take them hiking or simply go on a nature walk. If it’s snowing outside, it could be a good opportunity to have a snowball fight or build a snowman.

Does it surprise you how much technology has changed the way children have fun? Are your kids addicted to video games or their smartphones? What did you do for fun when you were a kid? What do your children do for fun?