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Original poster

Do children still “play out” where you live? Where are you? (Anywhere in the world!)

121 replies

Holidaying7 · 20/09/2022 11:14

My children are reading a lot of (mostly American) fiction where the kids play out with their friends on the street. Babysitters Little Sister, Ivy and Bean, and others.

Whenever I read these books to them, I get a twinge of nostalgia as that was my childhood!

Do kids still play out where you are? By that I mean, they (with parental permission) independently go and knock on their friends’ doors and play there or on the street without adult supervision?

Interested in anywhere in the world you might live where this happens still!

I live in London, so obviously that doesn’t happen here. But my sibling who lives in a popular-with-families suburb doesn’t have it there either.

OP posts:
TwoTimTams · 20/09/2022 11:17

Yes they do, I’m in a culdasac in a small city in Australia and it’s normal for the kids to come and go in between a few different neighbour’s houses for a few hours after school.

PerfectPlum123 · 20/09/2022 11:17

Yes, quiet cul-de-sac in the midlands. Children always out playing in the street

TheCanyon · 20/09/2022 11:19

Yeah kids play out every single day here, small town in South scotland. It's a very rare day that I don't have a child knock my door.

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abovedecknotbelow · 20/09/2022 11:19

No because we live near a main road in London. They go to the park with their mates though but this is a recent development since they've started secondary. Our road is quiet, but the pavement is narrow, they couldn't ride bikes or anything on it.

I grew up in a cul de sac with a big green in the middle of it, we 'played out' all the time.

JustLyra · 20/09/2022 11:20

We do. It’s one of the reasons we’ve never moved from here.

There are some families who are very judgemental about it and think it’s wrong/unsafe, but none of mine have ever had a problem with people approaching them or the likes.

We very briefly had an issue with one dickhead who drove far too fast into our cul-de-sac and refused to slow down in case kids were playing or crossing, in fact used to drive in faster to try and stop people letting their kids play out (he bought a house that backed onto a school playground then complained about the noise - that type), but luckily he moved away quickly.

StarDolphins · 20/09/2022 11:21

I live in a quiet cul-de-sac in a nice area (although is anywhere safe?) all the kids on my estate play out (in groups of 2-3). My DD is too young yet but hope she’ll be able to when she’s older (I’ll probably be secretly hiding in a tree watching over her though🤣) they need independence I feel & to be free to play out.

Clariana · 20/09/2022 11:21

Yes, we live in a small hamlet at the end of a no through road, we chose it deliberately for this reason, children from the hamlet play out all the time, and are in and out of each others houses. The one downside is you are never sure how many children you will have to feed at mealtimes!

Clariana · 20/09/2022 11:22

Sorry, in rural Yorkshire.

Rutland2022 · 20/09/2022 11:22

Yes. DD is too young but we live in a very quiet small rural village. The older children do play out (I’d guess from about 9 and upwards).

Raul57 · 20/09/2022 11:22

Hardly any but where we live its a private close and quiet a wide road with about 30 houses kids down aged from about 3/4 often with parents and or slightly older with parents and a couple of 9/10 yr olds.

We were outside all the time in the late 60's early 70's but it is all change as we did not have mobiles, 24/7 tv, games consoles etc etc

BigCheeseSandwich · 20/09/2022 11:23

Yes - suburbia in New Zealand. They have a lot of freedom.

weebarra · 20/09/2022 11:23

Yes. We live on a small estate in central Scotland. DS1&2 are ND and don't like socialising but DD (9) is out all the time.

SpinningFloppa · 20/09/2022 11:23

Main road in London so no, no kids do on my road

Parrotpretty · 20/09/2022 11:25

Yes and I love it. So much better than being stuck in on screens. I'm dreading the clocks going back.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 20/09/2022 11:27

Market town in Northumberland and yes kids play out here without parents. Probably from around 7-8ish

CaptainMyCaptain · 20/09/2022 11:29

Quiet cul de sac with grassy area near Sheffield. Children play out.

Divebar2021 · 20/09/2022 11:29

i live in a fairly quiet Crescent and my DD does not have any particular friends that close but I notice no kids ever play in the street or knock about on bikes. At the other end of the same street my friend lives in a block of flats with a big communal garden and kids there play together often. Another friend lives in a modern estate next to a park and those kids also play out so it’s very location dependent. I wish kids would call for DD because weekends can be long.

Divebar2021 · 20/09/2022 11:29

I’m In Surrey

GoldenGorilla · 20/09/2022 11:31

Quiet cul de sac in a peaceful, affluent suburb of a major city. Kids play out, it’s lovely.

BertieBotts · 20/09/2022 11:32

Yes, South Germany. Near a city but not in the centre of it. Kids also walk to school in packs from the age of 6, no adults!

Sprogonthetyne · 20/09/2022 11:32

I'm in the North East. Kids here will call on each other from around 8, but tend to play either in one of the gardens (accessible through gate on our estate) or on communal green space, which we're lucky enough to have a fair amount of. The roads themselves are just to busy or full of parked cars.

kewinsurreylass · 20/09/2022 11:34

Mine do
They get kicked out in all weathers as I did
They have a group of mates they go to the park with
Play on swings over river
Play football same as I did
I want them to be able to socialise and not sit in front of a screen and be socially inadequate in later life

Itsmeagainyes · 20/09/2022 11:34

Village in Scotland, this happens here.

hennybeans · 20/09/2022 11:35

Small, rural Yorkshire village: no DC playing out in general. This summer it was like a ghost town at the playground. My DC 10 is allowed to play out, but nearly all his friends are not allowed unsupervised. It's really sad.

During the holidays the DC are either at holiday club/ grandparents, or if they have a parent at home, they have organised trips with them or organised play dates at someone's house. During term time, DC have after school club or organised activities if parents are home.

I grew up in America, in a big city with year round nice weather, and I played out every single day. As did everyone else. Maybe that's why I let my DC play out as our village is so safe and quiet compared to where I grew up.

LadyFromage · 20/09/2022 11:35

Yes - fair sized village in the Midlands. For some reason they all play in the road (not a busy road, but not very quiet either) when there is a play park and huge empty football field right at the top of the street.

I can never work out why they don't play up on the field as they tend to play football quite a bit. Or roam futher across the village, as everyone seemed to when I was their age. But they are all pretty good and no hassle.