How old to let kids play outside alone?

Mominator · May 2011

Nate is 3y/o and Alyssa is 4.5y/o. I live on a side street, so no heavy traffic, but definitely a fair amount of traffic, several cars per hour. There are lots of other kids on our side of the street and my kids are generally outfront playing with them. My kids are by far the youngest, and so I am usually the only parent outfront with them. Up until now, I've always just sat out front on the patio to keep an eye on them. I do let them run up and down the block, but never more than 4-5 houses away and they are never out of my site. At this point, I honestly think that they are too young to be out alone, but am wondering, what do you think is an appropriate age to let your kids out to play without adult supervision? Oh, and would you feel any differently if they were outside alone but in a fenced yard? What about if they are in the front yard playing and me in the backyard? Any other scenerios that I am missing? LOL

Rebekah1021 · May 2011

Good question, I'm thinking 6 in this neighborhood?

ali-1411 · May 2011

I let 2 yr old DD play in the fenced backyard alone.

DS has been playing in the front - alone - since about 5.5 - 6 yrs old.

Mrs.Tony · May 2011

I'm a nervous nelly so I am of no help! I think they are too young though based on how you described it. Maybe a fenced in yard.

AnnapolisLari · May 2011

We're out in the boonies on a road that gets 1-2 cars an hour. I let them play outside alone if I am in the kitchen with the door open.

Our drive is 125 feet long and DS sets up our orange cones halfway up. He's very bossy about not letting DD go any closer to the road than that. LOL

hikerbeth · May 2011

DD is 5 and I'm pretty comfortable letting her play out front now, especially if there are other (older) kids playing out there, too.

I check on her a lot and she has never gone farther than the houses on either side and never across the street without asking permission.

However, usually DS is up and wants to play so then I have to be out, too.

DD has played alone in our fenced backyard for a long time, but it's on the north side, so it's much more fun to play in the sunny front yard.

superslug · May 2011

We live out in the boonies, too, on 2 ac. so I let mine play outside by themselves occasionally. They know not to go near the road and I can see them. my 5.5yo's BFF lives two houses down so he can run over there if he tells me. I usually watch him until he gets inside their house. Neither one is allowed to go in the street.

firefightersgal · May 2011

My DD is 4.5. I allow her to play outside by herself, but she isn't allowed to leave our yard. (She's very good about this. I sometimes see her standing at the very edge of our yard, talking to the neighbor kids). I look outside many times and she is warned that she has to stay where I can see her, or else she has to come in the house. I'm less worried about her in our fenced backyard. She comes in every 15 minutes to tell me something, anyway...lol.

GinandTonic · May 2011

We live on a fairly busy corner, but up high off the road with a long front yard (it's hard to describe - it's not a hill, we're just not on street level). Our backyard is fenced, but it's not a privacy fence. If it weren't a corner like that, I'd have no qualms now, but I've been wary.

DS is almost 6 and DD is 3 1/2. I've been cautiously letting them go out by themselves this season. As long as he's there. And they stay on the grass - either front or back. And on our lawn. So far, they've been good. I told them one violation and that's it. I stay on the side of the house they're on - if they're in the back, I can be in the kitchen, for instance. And tend to open a window or two in case I can hear, but not see. I check on them often.

Alibabs · May 2011

I live at the end of a Cul de Sac in a quiet neighbourhood and I'm still too nervous to let them out on their own. Our road is curvey and people drive too fast on it for a CdS. Plus I'd be afraid they would go wandering.

Nervous Nelly here!

ExpatFamily06 · May 2011

We have a completely fenced in back yard and our house is attached to houses on each side, all with completely fenced in yards. There is a house behind us and their yard is completely closed in, sooo with all of that said, I let ds play by himself all the time. Of course I check on him every couple of minutes.

winomom22 · May 2011

I am not quite ready for DD to play outside alone by herself without me watching, but we are getting there....(she will be 5 in August). I let her play in the unfenced backyard by herself, but I am in the kitchen (where I can see her) the whole time, either cleaning up dishes, making dinner or on my laptop. I probably check on her every 10 seconds or so. I am not comfortable with her playing out in the front by herself though. She is still impulsive and would run into the street after something without looking. We live in a similar neighborhood with minimal traffic.

j-w · May 2011

My kids play in our fenced backyard all the time. They are 5 1/2 and 2 1/2.

AngelaU1971 · May 2011

I let my 4 and 5 year olds play in the fenced backyard alone (of course I check on them frequently). But I can't imagine when I'll feel okletting them play in the front alone. We dont have a lot of traffic in our neighborhood, but I'm still not comfortable with it. Maybe 8 or so?? Not sure really.....

michaels_lovely · May 2011

I let the boys (almost 4 and 6) play in the backyard without an adult, but it is fenced and gate padlocked. Never in the front unsupervised, our street is just too busy(our road is the main turn in for the neighborhood).

jen5-03 · May 2011

I'm going to say probably 7 for the front yard. Fenced backyard... depends on what you've got out there, but I'll leave DS out there for a few minutes while I run and grab a drink or something and he's only 18mo. I let DD play out there by herself, but she doesn't stay long because she gets bored without an audience.

The summer I tuned 5, I was a good kid and my parents trusted me to play out front. I was not allowed to cross the street. Kid across the street was out playing too. We started running back and forth carrying sand and rocks from along the curb. I'd probably made 2 or 3 trips already when the car came along. I never looked up. It didn't quite hit me. Came close though. So close that the grill of the car brushed me. I ran into my house and hid under the table. The driver didn't know if she'd hit me or not and ran and banged on the door and my terrified mother dragged me out from under the table and check me over to make sure I was in one piece. I remember vivid details about that day and how scary it was and it's been over 30 years. So no, 5 is too young for my kid to play out front without supervision.

kancell724 · May 2011

DD is 4.5 and I let her play in the front yard by herself. I leave the screen door open and yell if shes ok every 15 minutes or so and she yells back. she knows not to leave the yard and all she does is play in the dirt or do chalk.

REOM · May 2011

Did you hear about this? It's VERY close to my parents, and not too far from you. At this rate, I'm never letting my kids go anywhere unattended!!

https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20061434-504083.html

shopgirl78 · May 2011

I let my 17 mo play in the backyard with his siblings with me checking on them regularly. It is a locked fenced contained area with lots of kid stuff.

I let my almost 6 year old play WITH FRIENDS in the front yard alone. Her friends are both older than her. It sucks because DS1 wants to go out there so bad..."I a big boy mommy." Most of the time, her friends dad is outside working on his car prob half @ss paying attention tho.

eta: I have rules about not crossing the street. Today (while I was out front) DS1 ball went out in the road. Neither kid followed it but yelled at it from the sidewalk to come back.

jamie.renee · May 2011

My older girls have been playing outside alone since they were just under 5 and just under 7. Before that I didn't let them since we were on the 3rd floor apartment. It would have taken me too long if something was to happen. Once we moved to the building across the street and were on the first floor I let them go out. There was a playground right in the back that they could play on or right in front using their sidewalk chalk etc. I always opened windows and checked on them often. We were on a military base with very minimal traffic in that area. Now we are in a townhouse with no yard. They are allowed to play out front. Across the street (not a full street) there is just a sidewalk, no houses so they ride bikes over there. They also play in our driveway. I don't check as often as I use to now that they are 9 and 7 but I still step out there or look out the window.

jlw2505 · May 2011

I honestly think a huge part of this is your kids and where you live. Where I live, it will be a long time before I let the girls play outside alone - I live in a nice enough area but at the end of our street and one street over are apartment buildings that attract some not great people. When we get the quartley police report sent to us (by our neighborhood watch group, nothing we ask for), that is typically the only area that has any crime reported. There is also a rental house at the end of the street that has some not so great people living in it now (lots of neighbors have complained). I have seen the kids running all over the place and just would not feel comfy with my kids being out their alone. My next door neighbor girls are now 8-10 and they are just now outside some on their own and I have been fine if my girls are out with them in the back and I'm in the front type of thing but I think it will be a few years min before the girls are outside without me.

Want a personalized experience?

How old to let kids play outside alone?

Re: How old to let kids play outside alone?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards