Well, it is Aloha Friday time! This will be my first so for any of you who do not know what Aloha Friday is...
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that people take it easy and look forward to the weekend (sound familiar?). So, we take it easy on Friday blog posts by sticking to just one quick question that surfers-by can answer with just a quick response themselves. This week's question is:
At what age do you think it is appropriate to let your kid play in the (fully fenced in) backyard by themselves?
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that people take it easy and look forward to the weekend (sound familiar?). So, we take it easy on Friday blog posts by sticking to just one quick question that surfers-by can answer with just a quick response themselves. This week's question is:
At what age do you think it is appropriate to let your kid play in the (fully fenced in) backyard by themselves?
I honestly cannot recall when I stopped being outside every second with the boys. They are teens now and my memory no longer remembers, I am sorry.
ReplyDelete9? Gosh I don't remember when we let Nathan do that.. if I had my way he'd still be supervised and he is 17 but they say eventually I have to let go.... LOL
ReplyDeleteHmm, I don't really know since my son still is young and I haven't thought about this yet. I would think 8 or 9?
ReplyDeleteI think it would depend on where you live and how mature the child is.
ReplyDeleteMy 2 and 4 year old are out there all the time, I just leave the door open and they come and go all day. However, we live in the country with no neighbors nearby. If we lived in town, I don't think I would let them out by themselves yet.
ReplyDeleteThat's tough, I think it depends on the kid. I know my 3 year old is not ready. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThat's a loaded question! For me, it depends on the kid and the area...fenced in or not. My BILs are 5 and 8 and play outside alone, not fenced in, but they live on 11 acres. My brother, however, wasn't allowed outside alone until recently (he's 10) and we had a fenced in backyard.
ReplyDeleteMy son? I have no idea yet.
Hmmm...well My son is 4 and he plays in the backyard..but never without me near.
ReplyDeleteIn our fully fenced yard, I let my boys go out alone at 4, I kept the door or a window open so I could hear them & checked on them frequently. I think it is hardest to make that decision with the oldest, but it does also depend a little on personality too.
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids yet. I would think by 5 or so they would be ready to be left alone outside (as long as you were nearby and could hear them). I only worry about kids when I can't hear them lol
ReplyDeletehm... i think it depends on the kids... as for my eldest, i can leave her now, she is 5 years old. but as for my boy, i dont think i can leave him as early, maybe around 8....
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is a one-size-fits-all answer for this question, sorry! I think it just depends on the kid, the yard, the area, etc. I would let all three of my kids (4, 6, & 7) play outside in our yard if it was a decent yard! But it's not... so they don't.
ReplyDeleteHmm...if it's really FULLY FENCED, and in full view of the house...I would say 3 or 4! My niece is three, and she loves to go in and out of the house and play on the playset just outside the kitchen windows. My daughter is 2, and...well, our backyard is a whole 'nother story. (SUPER steep, straight into a lake, no fence, etc. etc. etc.)
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed by how old people are saying. Mine is completely fenced in-there is nothing back there that he can't get into and we live in a great place with NO traffic. He's almost two and will go out there while I'm washing dishes and stuff sometimes without me. I leave the sliding glass door open so I can hear him and he can come in and out. I mean-I can see him and look in on him several times-but he's just playing. When he's around 4/5 I may not keep AS close of an eye on him but I think I'll always check in out him several times.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time for me. As long as you can keep an eye on them and they are mature enough I guess.
ReplyDeletehttp://iamharriet.blogspot.com/2009/06/yeah-friday.html
I never let my daughter play out by herself. I always had my eye on her.
ReplyDeleteTough question. I think it has less to do with the age in general. The child, your neighborhood and being heard are all factors.
ReplyDeleteGood question. I also think it depends on the age, maturity, neighborhood and your own comfort level.
ReplyDeleteMatthew is 5, and he is able to go out by himself.He rides his bike up and down or street (on the sidewalk) I can always see him and he has to tell me if he goes for a ride.
ReplyDeleteI know all my neighbours and feel comfortable that our street has the raising a child in a village attitude.
i have no idea. I'm paranoid so prob never hehe. my guy is only 2 so not dealing with this yet
ReplyDeleteI am not sure...we live in town and have a small back yard but a huge front yard, so I don't think I will be letting her go out alone for a long time (maybe 6 or 7) but if we lived out of town a little bit I would let her out about 3 or 4...where I could hear her, and stuff.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure....my three year old does not play in our backyard unattended. Maybe at about 5? With our backdoor open.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog!
Oh that's a good one...guess it really depends on what you mean "by themselves" - like you are peeking out the window etc. :) and things are all good -- I'd say whenever they get to the age where YOU feel comfortable.
ReplyDeleteadded your button to my site :)
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on your child, his/her maturity level, where you live and what is in the backyard.
ReplyDeleteMy son is 10 and very mischievious, he does play alone in the backyard, but I check on him frequently.
That is such a hard question. I agree with those who have said it depends on the yard, the community, etc. It also depends on the child. I am very cautious when it comes to things like this, just because of the world we live in...
ReplyDeleteMaybe like 8 or 9?
ReplyDeletei let my son go out alone around 4.5 to 5 yrs old. Our yard, too, is fully fenced in and very safe. The worst thing my son could do is turn on the water hose and play in the water without permission (and he's done that before!). Before i began doing that, i made sure that both gates had pad locks on them so my son couldn't possible get out of our 6 foot privacy fence and no one else could get in! I'm just inside the back door, so i can even hear him/see him playing through the windows! When he was 3-ish, I could never see that the day would come that I could let him play alone... ever! But it happened, thankfully, and now he's 6 1/2.
ReplyDeleteI think around 3 but we have dogs and huge picture windows so I can see everything from each room in my house.
ReplyDeleteI let my sons go out together with they were 3 and 4. My yard is fenced and I was always within earshot. But it probably really depends on the kiddo!
ReplyDeleteFully fenced I would say 3 or 4.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you can see the yard from inside and there is nothing dangerous back there (pool, etc) then 3 or 4. My 3 year old plays outside at my mom's sometimes but not at home because I can't see the yard unless I am standing at the porch window.
ReplyDeleteOur yard is fully fenced in. I probably would allow him to play in the yard by himself around 4 or 5. I probably won't let him play in the front yard with the neighborhood kids until he's like 6 or 7. Our road is a bit busy and teens tear down the street real fast sometimes. But as long as he stays in the fenced-in backyard, and the door is open so we can hear him, I think 4 or 5 is good.
ReplyDeleteThat is assuming he's not going to turn into some wild child. :)
good question. i guess it depends - where you live, kid's maturity, all that other stuff.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have a fenced in yard, and my kiddo was too adventerous and curious. I had to be out there all the time.
ReplyDeleteBut if you do have a fenced in yard, it would depend on maturity, and the presence of questionable stuff. Is the child prone to picking up everything and putting anything into their mouth? Does the child know how to treat bugs, insects, worms, without damaging them or putting them into their mouths. etc. I guess it depends upon their interests, maturity, awareness of right and wrong, ability to treat nature with care, etc.