Millennial parents want to give their children a '90s kid summer. What does that mean?

The '90s nostalgia that brought back cargo pants and flip phones is also fueling a parenting trend among Millennials called '90s kid summers.

The idea is to recreate the core childhood memories of a typical summer in the 1990s, such as running through sprinklers, drinking from the garden hose and chasing after the ice cream truck.

“That’s where you just open up the backyard, give them a garden house, let them go to town,” Kristin Gallant, the parenting expert behind Big Little Feelings, said in an Instagram video. “Independent play, creativity, ride bikes and do that from sunrise until sunset.”

Research shows that unstructured playtime helps build healthy bodies, increases energy and reduces tension and anxiety, according to the American Psychological Association.

But it’s not always possible to give children the perfect '90s summer in 2025, and parents shouldn’t stress out about it, said Claire Vallotton, professor of human development and family studies at Michigan State University.