At what age can kids play outside un-supervised

canadiandisneymommy · May 3, 2015

Just curious as to what age you think kids can play outside unsupervised? E.g. allow them to ride their bikes outside the house/down the street without constant supervision, assuming relatively safe neighbourhood with little traffic. I have young children so am not quite there yet but just curious what other people's experiences/thoughts are.

verleniahall · May 3, 2015

I was 7 when i started doing that - i could ride to the grocery store or convience store to get a snack or i could ride to my grandma/grandpas or my brothers house.

Disneylover99 · May 3, 2015

My kids are 11 and 8. They've been riding around the neighbourhood, and crossing not too busy streets for about two years now. But they do this together. My 11 year old is allowed to do this on his own, but he generally doesn't. My 8 year old daughter is pretty responsible, but I do worry about her going off on her own. I feel like she's still a bit too young to go off by herself. But she can play outside unsupervised, and has for the past 2-3 years.

amandaleigh2 · May 3, 2015

My son just turned 6 and we allow him to play outside with the neighbor kids without supervision. However, the other kids all live within 5 houses of us, and we do not allow him to go around the block and he has to let us know if he's going in one of the houses.

kmb584 · May 3, 2015

My daughter just turned 6 and isn't ready to be alone in the neighbor, but I have confidence that she'll be all set to ride her bike without supervision in another year or two. We live on a quiet street with not a lot of traffic but are still working on making sure to look and look again when crossing streets, not blindly chasing a ball that got kicked into the road, etc. There's a little boy up the block, about 10 now, who has been roaming alone since he was 4. That's too young, in my opinion.

Tiffylv · May 3, 2015

nugov2 · May 3, 2015

My 10 year old can go on her bike within a couple block radius, but she checks in a soon as she gets to her friends house and tells me before leaving to go to someone elses house, my 8 yr old is allowed to play in back by himself and in front with friends without me being outside. My 4 yr old is not allowed outside front or back without me. Very safe and quiet neighborhood where pretty much everyone knows each other.

SLP958 · May 3, 2015

DS 7 is allowed to play in the garage/driveway area alone and right beside the house. He is not allowed to get near the road or ride his bike off the driveway anywhere.

He is allowed to go next door and play with the neighbors unsupervised.

He can of coarse play in the fenced in backyard anytime.

We live in a circle with little traffic.

DD 3 can go in the back yard and garage as long as DS 7 is with her.

It is so hard to make decisions like this these days! Something so simple like playing outside fills you with dread because of so many crazy people!

PollyannaMom · May 3, 2015

There are a lot of kids on our cul-de-sac, and mine is one of five about the same age. We pretty much stopped sitting outside watching them play the summer between 1st and 2nd grade.

Dawnlight · May 3, 2015

ages 4-5 to play in the yard

ages 5-6 to play on the street (8 houses)

ages 6-7 to go around the block

ages 7-9 to go around the neighborhood (4 short streets) and to the park across the street (with siblings and friends)

By the time my kids are 8 they are able stay alone at the library in town; they've been going since they were babies/toddlers and have participated in every program. The librarians know them, my kids know the librarians and how to behave in a library. The rule is under 8 is not allowed to stay unsupervised; it's right of passage once they reach that age to have earned the responsibility to stay a while alone.

By the time my kids are 10 they are independent enough to go to the boat house for classes and to kayak/canoe on the river (there is boat house supervision). They ride their bikes 3 miles to get there and usually stay for the day.

My oldest was 13 when he took summer classes at a large city university, so he took the public transit and commuter rail to get there. His younger brother joined the following year.

Kids need to have this independence earned and practiced in increments; there is no magic age that it happens at all at once.

MomofKatie · May 3, 2015

I am all for letting kids display independence at a young age.

The summer before she turned 8, I allowed DD to go to her friends' houses in our small neighborhood, and to play in the open field behind our house. I had purchased a set of walkie talkies, and if she needed me, she could use them.

Once the summer was over and she proved that she could be trusted within the allowed areas, I gave her free reign throughout our small neighborhood (3 main streets with several culdesacs branching off). She could come and go as long as she informed me where she was going first.

When she started 4th grade, I was confident enough to let her cross the busy road in front of our neighborhood and walk to school (less than 1/4 mile away) and to the park behind it. Some other moms in our neighborhood thought I was too permissive, but I knew DD was responsible.

When she was 15, we sent her off to boarding school 150 miles away. It was a great accomplishment to be selected to go, and she was excited for the new challenge. We raised her to be independent, and she has become an accomplished, fearless young lady.

Bluestars · May 3, 2015

I think a lot depends on the child, the neighborhood, and the parent's comfort level. Some areas are quieter and safer than others. I think the kids in my neighborhood roaming by themselves are around 8 years and above. I don't see little kids by themselves. I knew someone whose 8 year old child was riding a bike and got hit by a car and died. I think it's very important to go over safety precautions before letting kids roam the streets of the neighborhood. A little bit of freedom at a time, after they have shown they are responsible, is a good thing. Also, I think it's always good for kids to be outside with at least one other child.

pumpkinmomma · May 3, 2015

We live on acreage, so my kids don't have a neighborhood to roam. But they play outside on our property unsupervised. The are 5 and 8 and have been doing this since the youngest turned 4. My youngest can play outside by herself now, but she rarely does.

Happy Snowman · May 3, 2015

Dawnlight said:
ages 4-5 to play in the yard

ages 5-6 to play on the street (8 houses)

ages 6-7 to go around the block

ages 7-9 to go around the neighborhood (4 short streets) and to the park across the street (with siblings and friends)

By the time my kids are 8 they are able stay alone at the library in town; they've been going since they were babies/toddlers and have participated in every program. The librarians know them, my kids know the librarians and how to behave in a library. The rule is under 8 is not allowed to stay unsupervised; it's right of passage once they reach that age to have earned the responsibility to stay a while alone.

By the time my kids are 10 they are independent enough to go to the boat house for classes and to kayak/canoe on the river (there is boat house supervision). They ride their bikes 3 miles to get there and usually stay for the day.

My oldest was 13 when he took summer classes at a large city university, so he took the public transit and commuter rail to get there. His younger brother joined the following year.

Kids need to have this independence earned and practiced in increments; there is no magic age that it happens at all at once.

That is roughly the timeline we had. I know by the time they were 9 they could go to the city pool without an adult so they were riding their bikes across town to do that around that age. I agree, kids NEED to be out and doing these things by themselves or with a group of friends.

Minnesota! · May 3, 2015

Dawnlight said:
ages 4-5 to play in the yard

ages 5-6 to play on the street (8 houses)

ages 6-7 to go around the block

ages 7-9 to go around the neighborhood (4 short streets) and to the park across the street (with siblings and friends)

By the time my kids are 8 they are able stay alone at the library in town; they've been going since they were babies/toddlers and have participated in every program. The librarians know them, my kids know the librarians and how to behave in a library. The rule is under 8 is not allowed to stay unsupervised; it's right of passage once they reach that age to have earned the responsibility to stay a while alone.

By the time my kids are 10 they are independent enough to go to the boat house for classes and to kayak/canoe on the river (there is boat house supervision). They ride their bikes 3 miles to get there and usually stay for the day.

My oldest was 13 when he took summer classes at a large city university, so he took the public transit and commuter rail to get there. His younger brother joined the following year.

Kids need to have this independence earned and practiced in increments; there is no magic age that it happens at all at once.

Pretty much.....

ronandannette · May 3, 2015

In a fenced yard without any undue hazards and within view from a window, 3 or 4.
In front yards or on driveways on relatively quiet streets, 5 or 6.
Bike riding around the neighbourhood with other kids, 7 or 8.

Those were the boundaries we were comfortable with given our DS's maturity level and the local environment. At age 11 he started Jr. High at a school that required him to travel on public transit. The school also allowed students to leave campus for lunch unsupervised. At that point we were never again completely in control of where he was every moment or what he was doing.

dimimi · May 3, 2015

This completely depends on the responsibility of the child and the type of children that are in the neighborhood. My children needed to demonstrate the ability to make good choices and follow all of the "house" rules when I was and was not watching.

At what age can kids play outside un-supervised

canadiandisneymommy

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verleniahall

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