What age would you/have you let your child go to the park unattended?

[savanahnana]

Understand this will vary massively depending on the child, but what age would you let your child go to the park by themself.

We live one house down from a play park and football field, in the countryside. Park not ever very busy, more often than not we’re there by ourselves.

I can’t see the park from the house however so it got me thinking what age my children would likely be before I let them go alone. They’re generally quite sensible quiet kids who would just happily play. I won’t say how old yet as would just like to gage a rough age on what others think is generally acceptable.

With other kids from 8 or 9
I have three boys, the youngest is 8. He doesn't 'play out' yet although some of his friends do. The older two were 8/9 when they started, not far from the house but to the field at the top of our road to play football with friends.

Mine started going to the park around 10. It's about 10 mins walk from home, but they pass it on the way home from school.

My pair have always had phones though so they are trackable/contactable pretty much all the time.

I'll let mine go from age 11 probably (she's 10 atm) as she'll be going to school on her own then anyway. The park is a 5 min walk away.

I went to the park on my own to play with friends from the age of 6. None of us had any adult supervision. This was 'gritty' East London. But it was completely the norm back then and no-one batted an eyelid at young children playing out unsupervised. I imagine nowadays someone would alert Social Services. A different time as they say!

It would depend how far the park is from your home. I did not live very near to a park when my children were young so they couldn't go alone. It was almost 2 miles away. I lived in a very rural location in a hamlet of about 20 houses. They did play out in a field opposite to our house though from about 8.

I grew up in Switzerland and started to play out from about 4-5. I would not let my 8 year old play out on her own now. Just doesn’t feel safe. My brother who is still in Switzerland let’s his kids ply out since they were about 3. Mostly because where the live is super safe and loads of other kids and parents anout

Age 8/ 9 if the park was right next to the house as you describe

I love right next to a park and football field and I let my youngest go alone from when she was 6, but I'd sit on the front doorstep and watch her play , most of the kids were around the same age all playing there without parents. The only thing I worry about I'd we have a loch just up from the park so it's always been drummed into them that they aren't allowed to leave the parks boundary unless to come home again

My son was 10 (it is about a 5-10 minute walk including a level crossing a road). In your situation, probably 8-9 depending on the child. Maybe 7 if they were with an older sibling.

Mine is 11 and 9 and they don't go to the park alone but its not the norm where I am

We have a park opposite the house across a small road, DD is 8 and can go there without an adult. We can see the park out of some of the windows. They were playing out in front of the house from age 4 with light supervision with the rest of the children in the cul de sac in the old place.

8 or 9 in your situation I’d say.
The park is in a similar situation here - a girl from my child’s class was allowed there on her own from year 1 so 5/6 years old, because her mum could see from the house. She was uncomfortable on her own so would tag onto whoever turned up at the park. Other parents didn’t like it as you ended up watching her as well as your own kids, so they all started driving to the park in next village!

Year 5 for park on our side of the local main road, year 6 for park on the other side.

10 here, park is around 10 min walk, across the other side of our road, I used to watch them across the road (group of friends from our cul-de-sac), then they'd shout across the road when they got back a couple of hours later.

This is hard because it’s so different from when I was a child, even when my own were children, with friends/other kids 9-10.

In that situation I'd say from about age 8.

DS2 is 12 in September, I have only started allowing him out in the last couple of months since we moved to a safer (roads) part of town

8/9 if it's that close to house. I let my kids go to park 5 mins walk away when they were 9.

DS is 11 and has been going to the park with friends since January. He has a phone and I track him on ‘find my iPhone’. He doesn’t have to cross a main road to get to the park, it’s two short streets away.

10, just one small road to cross and about quarter of a mile away

I let mine at 10. About 5 mins away. Busy park in London. Would maybe have allowed a bit younger in scenario you describe

Mine have been going since about age 6/7.

To add that playing out, walking to school etc is normal at that age where I live.

11 as there's a main road to cross and they always go with a friend. It may have been a little younger if not for the main road to cross and it wasn't a 7 minute walk, they were allowed to play out with friends on a green close to the house at 9.

Never.

I think it's not a question of age. More about area.

The area I live in is not great. The park is full of teens who steal the younger kids bikes and there is often trouble, somebody got bottled at the skate park. So I did not want DS going to the park. It's not really a place where you can "play out" sad but true, he mainly spent time at friends houses rather than out in the local area.

Our park is a 2 minute walk and our daughter has been going there since 8 years old but only with a friend she's not allowed to go on her own. She also knows that if she feels worried about her safety them to go to my friends house who lives directly opposite the he park. She's a sensible girl though, always has been.