Best way to communicate with 9 year old who plays outside

[Hotairoverthere]

My son has a group of 5-6 friends who all play in the park, gardens and street around their houses.

I would like some way for him to communicate with me/me to contact him if required.

I would rather not go down the mobile phone route as I think he’s still too young.

What are the other options and can you recommend a specific watch/other item and SIM card?

I’m finding the SIM card particularly confusing.

Old school get him a pager lol

Can't he just come home if he needs to talk to you/you go out to the park to find him?

What kind of thing are you envisaging having to tell him? Give him a watch and let him know what time dinner is.

How about walkie talkies? You can get some decent long range ones for under £50 and even these should be good enough www.amazon.co.uk/Motorola-PNI-MTAT42-3-Portable-Radio-Station/dp/B07DYGD8CH/ref=pd_sbs_107_3/260-1337068-4792434?pf_rd_p=b9bf232d-9a8a-4c7d-aa9d-641c0995d3a2&th=1&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=LXCWJ&pf_rd_r=64QJR6C94F9JB9A17VFN&pd_rd_i=B07DYGD8CH&pd_rd_w=RlpGg&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=64QJR6C94F9JB9A17VFN&pd_rd_r=3f832508-0bf8-494d-98a6-b23cc03b0a76

I just go out and shout them! All the local kids and the neighbours know who they are so ify dc don't hear me the others shout them for me. They don't go far away though: only to the top or bottom end of our street.

My dad used to stand at end of drive giving the army patrol signal for "on me" all the kids in park knew it and would tell us. If we needed them we would go home. It was good having the independence.

When you say you don’t want to go the mobile phone route, we’re you just thinking smart phone? Because there is the option of getting a £10 phone for just calls and texts. It doesn’t even need to be his phone, could be a house phone.

Were

Just get him a dumb phone with only your number saved to it.

Whistle?!

I mean, by definition a watch or SIM that allows you to communicate with him basically IS a phone so I'm a bit confused? If you don't want him accessing the internet etc that's fine - just get him a cheap phone that's not a smart phone with a SIM only so he can call or text you and that's it.

A watch and a home time.

An oaxis my first fone.

It's a watch but with a sim in so you can text and call.

I had one for my daughter for different reasons.

Ours had a basic Nokia phone at that age that cost £11 of which £10 was the PAYG sim
Did the job though!

Mine were rural kids and roamed for miles "in the middle of nowhere". They took a mountain whistle and I had one at home.

A foghorn

I use a whistle. Or shout

Aldis Lamp