to ask what age you would let your child/ ren do this?

[beclev24]

There is a park round the corner from our house (no roads to cross, probably about 200 yards door to door but not visible from the house and on a different road). The park is like a kind of wild garden with trees to climb, lots of places to hide/ play hide and seek etc . Rural feel but we live in a town. What age would you let your NT DC go there alone without you to play? Would that be different with a sibling and what age/s in that case? (mine are 3 years apart) we live in a pretty safe area, and the park usually has people around in it, but not always.

I'd prefer it if they went with a friend.
Daylight only.

10 for DD, 11/12 for DS1, as long as they were with friends.
Maybe earlier for DT2, who is very sensible.

DT1 otoh...

Depends on the child and their friendship group I’d say. Case by case basis.

That sounds like wasteland, is it really a park?

I'd let my youngest go to a small well kept, overlooked neighborhood park 200 meters away with a friend, and he's 7, but I wouldn't be keen on my 11 year old or 13 year old going to a bit of wasteland full of hidden nooks and crannies potentially frequented by unsavoury types/ with potential for broken glass lying around or worse...

It depends on the set up so much! Is it really a public garden? If so it could be lovely, I've never seen a small neighborhood park genuinely set up for tree climbing and den building etc.

It depends on the set up

Similar situation here. My son is 11 in a couple of weeks and we are just thinking of letting him go to a park at a similar distance with friends (no roads to cross and quiet friendly village).

I haven't let DS (10) go to our local park (we live on the outskirts of a city, quiet neighbourhood) with a friend yet. I'd like to, but think I'll wait until he's 12. He's sensible, but some of his friends are a bit daft and there's a small road to cross.

DD (13) walks the dog up there with her friend (14) and they also have phones.

8 depending on maturity, but only with a friend or sibling.

8/9. Younger if with a a sibling. However, I got the flaming of my life on here for letting my DD walk up the lane 100m to get eggs when she was 5 so maybe don't listen to me!

11 and upwards is . Can I ask how those kids cope with secondary school if they can't go to a park around the corner on their own?

None of you lot can be rural surely? DS and DD have to walk a mile to their school bus stop in the morning, crossing two busy roads. DS was only 10 and 2 weeks when he started doing that. Are your kids really close to their schools?

Suburban London, 1 small road to cross, 9 years old (Year 5)

10 with a friend

I’d say mid year 6 with a friend -do age 11. Wouldn’t let them go at all alone. I’d let dd 11 with sister age 13 but I’d be nervous if she went with another 11 year old and I’d probably walk the dog nearby!

DD is 11, year 6. I d probably let her do this with a friend, it hasn't come up yet but it may do this summer as she has already asked if she can go to the park 5 mins away with her friend on the next road when the weather improves. She has a phone. I d also let her take DS9 if she was happy to and he promised to behave. A lot of her friends walk to and from school this year. She doesn't as we live half an hour walk away and noone from our end walks, I have to take DS anyway so she d rather come in the car and they go to after school club every day so walking home isn't an option. It's so hard to let go and to know what's best for their independence and safety!!!

I have a park just behind a fence my lot have been going since they were 8. Well my youngest was 6/7 as he had his siblings with him.

Dd been roaming since 7/8 with a friend whose two years older.

DD is 12 now. She has been going to the local park to meet friends without me since she was 10. It's a five to ten minute walk and she needs to cross several roads to get there including a very busy dual carriageway (with a pelican crossing). I would not have allowed her to go alone at 10 if supervising a 7 year old, however! She is sensible, independent and has had a phone to call me if there is a problem since she has been going out alone. We are in London, though relatively suburban and friendly area (zone 3).

I think if the younger child is going, the younger child needs to be able to manage themselves independently too. You can't expect eg an 11 year old to adequately look after an 8 year old while also having fun themselves, unless they like to play together a lot.

I'd love to let DS roam around more with his friends as I did growing up but none of the other parents here would let their boys do it, so we're stuck! It's a shame, but we moved where the jobs were.

Thanks - really interesting range of answers. In answer to pp who asked if it was a wasteland- def not. It’s an unusually set up. Beautifully kept community garden type place but quite rustic and with lots of nooks and crannies and places to climb trees and hide. Hay bales to climb on, some chickens to feed etc. we are not in the UK and haven’t seen similar there.

For those of you who are on the later end- 11 ish- what would be your main worries or concerns for younger kids doing that? (Ours are 8 and 5 btw. 8 year old seems easily ‘ready’ to me and I think the extra independence would be great for him. 5 year old still feels too young to me tho is DESPERATE to go with his brother.

Id agree that 5 is too young. Mine did at 8.

5 is too young, a 5 year old can't look after themselves and it's not fair for an 8 year old to have the responsibility.

Sensible 8 year old should be fine, but only with a friend so one can get adult help if necessary.

5 is too young. 8 might be OK if that child is sensible and switched on. An 8 year old supervising a 5 year old would be a massive no from me.

For me, in a busy area of London, I wanted my child to be taller than a parked car. She will always need to cross roads between parked cars. Being visible makes her safer. So 10 was the age she was just about the same height as a parked car and she was desperate to go so I let her (and it has been totally fine).

I think I'd check with local friends where you are, rather than on a uk based forum. I have parent friends in Norway, South Africa and Spain and I think it would be far more usual there for a 5 year old to go to the park alone than here.

5? No way OP?! Far too young to understand the risks and look after himself, and putting the responsibility of looking after a 5yr old on an 8yr old is also, in my view, not fair. The 8yr old wants to go & play, not look after his brother.

You say it's out of sight, lots of nooks and crannies and places to climb trees and hide -and quite often deserted. That would worry me for various reasons (a) potential for stranger danger, (b) they might lose one another, wander off looking for friends etc and (c) hurt themselves.

I would also say 8/9 with a friend - preferably 2 friends if doing things like tree climbing (one to go for help and one to stay should someone fall out).

Mine were all allowed out to friends/to the park/to the shops from the summer between years 3 to 4. But we lived in a village 10 miles from secondary school. They have to be allowed some independence from that age in order to gradually prepare them for the multiple bus journeys they would be doing alone, from age 11, when they started secondary school.

We have a similar park near here and it's very common from age 9 (sometimes age 8). I think your DC are a bit young, OP.