Middle class kids don't play out as much as working class children

To add, there is a mix of ages playing out and the younger ones are supervised by adults. This does mean that there is often oversight of the kids but not intervention unless it's really needed eg if someone gets hurt

If they’re at private school, that will finish at 5pm. MC kids will be in clubs here there and everywhere and also, probably at home studying/doing homework.

We live on a council estate but DD went to a typical London primary with kids from a mix of classes and ethnicities. Where we live the kids play out all the time. It's enclosed from the road, there's play equipment and always someone to play with. The middle class kids she was friends with at primary school tended more to have play dates, play in their gardens etc.

I work for a charity in the centre of a huge council estate. There are children constantly everywhere. It's a mix of no money to do anything other than play on the streets and the parents just sending their children out so they don't have to parent them. It's heartbreaking, we get so many just milling about our building/grounds and the parents have no idea where they are. They get bored and vandalise. They scream and shout... And not in a children playing excitedly way.

I think some of the children are out because they hear all the others out and want to be part of it.

It's not great.

In contrast, where we live (nice 5 beds, detached) you rarely see another child "out to play" because as PP says, they are at after school clubs/longer school days from public schools/structured family activity. Even just having a nice big garden with room to ride your bike or play football is something we totally take for granted I guess, because that's where our DC play. Where is a child living in a flat supposed to run about?

Where DNan lives, it's a quaint little village with a green and not much else. You will occasionally see a couple of siblings riding their bikes around. I think through child safety, children aren't allowed out on their own at all really, whereas the same village, thirty years ago, there were many children biking from house to house going to call on their friends...ending in playing in that friend's garden though.

It’s not that middle class kids don’t play out any more. They certainly do. It’s just that posh new build areas tend to attract families with either very young kids / babies or those with older secondary aged kids neither of whom will play out. Or if they do it will be at different times. Eg in my area primary aged kids only play out after 5pm during the week. Toddlers will play out approx 3ish. You won’t see secondary school aged kids out at all as they’re too busy doing homework / activities.

I think you’re right. We live on a council estate and there are always kids out playing. Don’t see it anywhere else. Not always in a good way though! Some really little ones are out way past bedtime on their own and there’s a little fecker constantly ragging around the estate on a dirt bike. The older ones cause a lot of damage too and no one’s watching/cares. There’s probably a good middle ground. We were allowed out to roam but always had a strict curfew and rules about where we could/couldn’t go

I live in a middle class new build estate with lots of green, safe areas and the children are out all of the time. I can see a big green from my kitchen window and my DC goes out and plays. I played in my very safe cul de sac as a child but wasn't allowed to roam as a teenager.

Playing out was rife round my way in 80's and 90's. Only really slowly died off after the millenium and fast internet.
You havent lived if you havent shared a bottle of lambrini/frosty jacks/export strength beer whilst sitting on a swing in the local park under the cover of darkness.

I played out in my middle class suburban street in the 60s. We played in our garden but also in the street. My brother and I went up and down the road to see our friends on our own from very young - about 5 onwards. We also played in the street on our bikes and weren’t supervised by an adult. I also remember pottering round the neighbourhood on my own from very young. I have the impression this was completely normal and remember other kids playing out.

I think there was still a strong belief in ‘fresh air’ and a lower perception of risk than there is now - and also no competition from screens. Basically there was less to do indoors so you went outside for a change and to see your friends.

It definitely is. I live on the continent and you definitely see more children out in working class areas than middle class ones. Where I live children around 9 or 10 take the bus on short journeys in the summer.
Where my friends live, nobody's out at all and children can only play together if they have organised play dates or they happen to see each other in the playground.

The location plays a part too. Could only play kerby where there are kerbs! Can only go tearing about on bikes where relatively safe. Can only build dens and climb trees where there are trees. KIds these days would recoil in horror at all of that when they have shedloads of tech at home.

We live on a private road /housing estate. My ds is the only child that plays out, there are lots of other kids living here, they don't play out. Ds kicks his ball in the street, the neighbours seem bewildered and one guy is fuming! He knocked on my door to tell me "it isn't normal for a kid to play in the street". 🙄

Maybe it depends what you mean by middle class. Lower middle-class children certainly had a lot of freedom in the 80s. Was it a posh or wealthy area?
Although my impression was that everyone played out a bit more in those days.

I wouldn’t worry, you’ll know when they start playing out as people will whine on here about the noise the kids make or the fact there’s noise from a ball bouncing.

MC 80s childhood here and we didn't play out or know anyone who did. There weren't really any kids immediately near our house so it would have been difficult!

I wouldn't let DD now. We live in a very mixed area and I've seen the gangs of feral kids hanging around, showing off and daring each other to do things, or making remarks to passers-by or being a nuisance in the shop.

You need to read some of the school threads on here talking about behaviour in classrooms, partly influenced by parental attitude. That may also explain why some children don’t play out to keep away from the ‘feral’ children. Not saying that will always be a class divide

What age are your children? living in nice estate - kids are out playing but with parental supervision.

I agree my children grew up in the 90s and they didn't play in the street and neither did their friends.

YANBU. I live in a Northern working class area and all the kids play out. We moved to our area for that reason! I grew up playing out and I want the same for our kids.

My very middle class London based colleagues came up recently for a work visit and were amazed to see children playing out. It was one of the main things they commented on, lots of comments about how they couldn’t believe junior aged kids crossed the road unsupervised (quiet residential side roads, not a busy dual carriageway), how they must surely not play out when it’s cold or raining (we have access to coats), etc. Their kids are all at clubs/classes and get ferried there and back.

Hmm this makes me wonder if I grew up working class and my DD is experiencing a middle class childhood. I thought all children from this generation didn’t play out much. I didn’t put it down to class. But it could be!

I do find that these days the children that play out are known for being trouble and so many parents don’t really want their children playing out because of how easy it is to get mixed up in dodgy things. Then again I live in London where it’s cute for children to play out and once they become teens you just see them doing wheelies on bikes and walking around. Nobody trusts teens so going to the local corner shop isn’t a pleasent experience.

Was just thinking how great it is where I live to see all the kids out and about.

They play out but usually with an adult

It may well be true overall but certainly not for my children. We don't live on a housing estate though so maybe rural vs urban settings have a big part to play too?. We have our own land as do their local friends so they spent their time outdoors when younger. Climbing trees, zip lining, making dens, general pottering, riding bikes and ponies, trampolining. I would say they definitely spent more time outside than working class counterparts

In my personal experience this seems to be true OP.

I grew up on a HA estate in south London and from age 4 I was outside playing with the other kids (there was a little gang of us and I've fond memories).

But when I went to UoB so many of my middle class (and upper class) peers had basically never done this.

I've never heard of this! Most of my friends were middle class when I was growing up. We loved playing outside.