What age do you let your child out on their own with their friends during the day?

[Cherryblossom200]

Hello!

My daughter turns 11 next month, she already walks to school on her own and is very responsible.

Today some of her friends all went out together during the afternoon and seemed to have wandered around the local area for an hour or two. This feels young to me 😬

I have no intention of allowing my daughter to do the same yet. I felt around secondary school age is when she can start doing small trips out and work up from there?

When did you guys let your children out alone during the day with their friends?

Y5 so 9/10. By secondary age dc need some independence.

She already stays on her own at home if I pop out and also she walks to school. Just not going out on her own yet.

Age 8 dd was allowed to walk alone to my mum’s house (up our street).

Age 9 dd was allowed to go to the park across the road with friends.

Age 10 walking to and from school.

Age 11 I didn’t restrict her - but she had to tell me where she was going in advance (gave her a phone).

My dd is sensible so it’s other people (friends and strangers) I was worried about, not her.

10ish I think.

Year 7, but I’m in London. Maybe different in a small village or so on!

Agree year 5 - she should be doing this sort of thing now. You’re risking her being woefully underprepared for secondary friendships if she hasn’t developed those skills by then.

My dd is 11 in the summer. She is walking to school with friends but I think I'd like to wait until the days are longer before letting her out at the weekends. If she met up for lunch it's only about 3 hours before she would be walking home in the dark. So maybe by May we might.

My boys 10, year six being playing out independently since year 5.
it just depends on the child.

Park after school - summer term year 7 but going to town was from year 8. They’re now year 10 (twins) do lots of clubs and prefer hanging at home or in friend’s homes where food appears and it’s warm. Dd3 briefly started hanging in the park with friends but got bored of her best friend snogging her boyfriend and ignoring her. She has nicer friends now.

Depends on the local area. DS was fine at that age, but no busy roads, fairly quiet area, visible from houses everywhere they went.

I guess it was Covid when mine were year 5 so it wasn’t something any of their year did. They really didn’t ask until year 8.

It was year 5 for mine (so 9-10). knew the parameters of where they were allowed to go, and the time they had to return. If they were uncomfortable with anything they knew to come home.

Year 5 here

Where do you live? Smallish community that’s reasonably safe with sensible places for them to go? Then about 11/12.

Year 5 here as well. They made the odd trip to the local shop (which is very close) on their own slightly earlier.

Most children will be expected to make their own way to secondary school and to have more independence. That's late to start building up.

It really depends on where you live! Both my DC were walking to/from school by Y6 and travel to/from school by bus independently now in Y9 and Y7. However, as we are in suburban London and streets/parks are not the safest, neither of mine have much interest in hanging out in parks/streets and neither do their friends. They tend to meet up at each others houses instead. It’s important for kids to gain the skills they need to travel independently/go to the local shop etc, but there’s a balance to struck between this and staying safe.

Mine have been going out to play from the age of 7. - which is completely normal in Scotland.

by age 11 they were allowed to get the bus to the leisure park to go bowling or to the cinema.

I live in a nice area outside of London, lots of lovely parks and high street. But we still have lots of cars/busy roads which she’s long started negotiating in October. She goes into shops alone etc. I think I’ll let her go in the spring around May time when it’s lighter 😊

I certainly want her to be ready socially for school x

Waiting till May sounds fine. Definitely by 11 my children were out and about by themselves for a few hours with friends. I think that 10/11 is the best age as it's just before secondary starts.

Once my DD had a phone (mid Y6.) Prior to this I would let her go to fixed places e.g the park once she was allowed to walk to school by herself (beginning of Y6.)