Would you let your 5&6 year old play at the park alone ?

[Pinkflowersxo]

We live on a new build estate with a play area, it's very visible to all of the houses , we live in a very nice area crime rates are low. My girls are 5&6 years old , I don't feel comfortable with them going to the play area alone even in a group of other young children but unsure if this is too strict I want them to enjoy themselves and have fun. Right now I take them but they really want to go by themselves with their friends without an adult. The park is not visible from our house but only 1 minute walk. Just wondered what everyone else does at this age xx

No

Thank you !! Seems age 8 seems quite a common age so my girls would definitely be too young

Nooo, we have a similar set up and dc1 has just turned 7. We walked past the park yesterday and he saw a group of kids he recognised from his school, they were a mixed group of 4-7.
Lots of children play out on the roads too as soon as they can walk, accompanied by slightly older brothers and sisters. None of them have any road sense, or fear and it’s a disaster waiting to happen as it’s a busy road through the village.
my dc7 is very road savvy, and sensible/cautious but no it’s still too young (unless I’m with him obviously)
8/9 would be the youngest I would consider.

sleekcat · Today 11:40
You say it's very visible from all houses, so I would but only if I was watching from the window all the time.”

Watching from a window doesn’t prevent older kids using inappropriate language.

No. We moved last year & my youngest was 9 & i let them start going to the park to play (new build, park just round from our house and can hear kids in it) no phone yet but tracker watch. Has to message me when round. 1st few times i went a walk with the dog to observe going past. Over the past 6 months i’ve relaxed a bit but even at 10
i still have nerves but thats because not street wise as never got out where we were before as no park or kids near by. If we’d lived here when younger i don’t think i’d have allowed it before 8. Can’t say what age for certain but def not at 5 or 6!

Heck NO! Kids often want to do things that are not safe or good for them; it's our jobs as parents to set appropriate boundaries and say a firm NO sometimes and this is definitely one of those times! For the love of God do NOT allow this OP!

NO!!

Not a bloody chance would that be happening!

Let’s not forget April Jones, the 5 year-old who was out playing with friends, when a man abducted and murdered her in 2012. Her friends watched as he took her. She was only out for 20 minutes.

Hell no.

Oh no I remember this 🙈😢, heartbreaking.

for other posters I did tell my daughter no, but felt guilty about it just came here for opinions xx

No way

No way at 5 and 6.

Maybe 15 and 16 (only half joking).

I have a 5 year old and there is absolutely no way he would be going to the park alone 😳

Parenting should 100% not be about following other people when your gut is telling you no. I’m really surprised that you would even consider letting kids that age out of your sight by themselves for an extended period just because someone else misguidedly does - just so you can save face by not being seen by others as ‘too strict’. That’s actually quite negligent.

No

No! If I saw children that young alone in a park I would phone the police

Nope

Definitely not.

An 11 year old was grabbed by 2 strangers, in an attempted abduction a few days ago.

5 or 6 year olds could easily be over powered by a stranger.

This.

I'm surprised someone else's behaviour which you know is not right is making you second guess yourself.

Obviously you can't let 5/6 year olds out unsupervised.

I would at 7 & 8 with the doors open in my house and with kids they knew.

No it's far too young. 9/10 minimum

My age for this would be 8 I think as that seems a good age for having some traffic sense (even on very slow residential roads) and to know what to do if someone gets hurt.

No 💯

Absolutely not. I wouldn't until they were about 10.