At what age do/did your dc's "play out"?

[sorky]

Unsupervised.

Mine are 8 and 6.5 and started playing in the Close last Summer. They have best friends further down the same Close of the same ages and we know the family really well.
They aren't allowed out of the street we live in, but I'm wondering when the right time will be to allow the eldest to venture a bit further.

What do you think? Did you start by allowing them to leave the street, but not cross roads? Do they have mobiles? (mine don't)

They both understand the rules of not near the roads and don't talk to strangers. I also ask them to tell me if they want to venture a bit further, just so I know where they are, but invariably they forget and when I call them for lunch they're nowhere to be found!

When I was 8, I went out at 8.30am and rarely returned home at all until teatime. We roamed all over tbh on bikes.
I want this freedom for mine too, but I'm struggling...

Well, our set up is a bit different cos we live on the main road so the kids can't just play outside (cars are coming all the time) - plus my eldest's main friends all live a good five to ten minute walk away, so I wasn't happy for her to just walk over to see them. So I didn't let my DD out unsupervised til she was at secondary school.

ut like i say, I think it depends on the set up really!

dd1 was 5 - lot so children the same age playing out

dd2 was 7 and she played with three girls around the corner

When did they go a bit further then? Say to the local shop about 1/2 mile away?

I have shops about quarter of a mile and a pelican crossing over a main road- about 8 years old and for tesco the other way and over another busy road around 9-10

Do they have mobiles Ivykate?

No dd1 is 18 and unbeleivable but mobile phones where still not a child thing when she was going to the shop!!

dd2 didn't have a phone at first - she has one now but hardly uses it and if she goes out to play she has to be back by a certian time and if not she is not allowed out fro one day - so she learns to time keep

going to the shops it is no use with a phone as they don't wok in tesco..!

My dd1 is 8 (just turned) and dd2 (nearly 5) and we have a communal grassy area at the side of our house.

Both are allowed to play out on it. Dd1 is also allowed to the local shop about 5 minute walk away,two roads to cross to get there, both roads are quiet.

On two occassions I have let dd2 go to the local shop with dd1 (other older children with them). I watched from a distance, and both daughters held hands all the way.

I will let dd1 cross a road to go and find out if her friends want to play with her in the grassy area. If dd1 is not on grassy area then she will be in friends front garden.She does come in and ask if she can go first. I haven't as yet had to look for her and so far, trust her to be where she says she will be.

Poor dd2 only goes to grassy area. When dd1 goes to friends at end of street (but involves crossing a road) then dd2 comes and sits on my front step, until they come back.

I find allowing them to play out is very stressful, as they are desperate for freedom that I don't usually want to give them.

Thanks very much for that.

We talked last night about it and decided that she could have a new watch (youngest broke the other) and she would have to be back by a certain time.

If she doesn't come back, she isn't going out the next day at all. She seemed to be okay with this.

I'm going to have a chat with her best friends mother too, see if we can agree where the boundaries will be moved to. Stops them saying "well X is allowed to do..."

The 6yo will be staying in the street for a looooong time yet, poor soul.

No one said it was this hard!!