How old do your children need to be to play outside alone?

[gunderson513]

I just recently started letting my 7 year old ride his bike outside alone. It makes me crazy! I worry the whole time. How old was your child when you let them outside alone?

[sashamae]

I have a 5 year old and a 7 year old and they play alone outside, but in the fenced in backyard. Our street isn't busy, but some cars don't drive the speed limit down our street so I wouldn't let them play out in the front yard by themselves.

Guess that doesn't really help I am very thankful that we have a nice fenced in backyard!

[vengholm]

Seven sounds about right. Marc was eight, but we live in the city and I was always nervous about him getting hit by a car. By the time he was eight, though, we had moved to a neighborhood with less traffic. My neighbor let her kid outside alone when he was six, but then again, this neighborhood and the traffic!

I don't think there's a magic age, you just have to decide whether or not you trust your kid to not run in the street or the neighbor's yard, or to play with strange dogs. Things like that. Some ten year olds don't have that stuff down yet while other six year olds do!

[sahmiam43]

25, maybe 26. Really depends on the kid.