Thought - What is the Appropriate Age for Walking Home from School Alone?
My son is in second grade and he is 7 years old. Right now, he has no interest in walking to school or from school by himself but I am sure the question will come up as he gets older.
What are your thoughts? What age is an appropriate age for a child to walk to school and back home by himself or herself? 8 years old? 9? 10? Never?
8 comments:
I say 8 or 9 and in groups.
My vote is 10 with a "safety buddy" and 13 without one as long as they know the rules. Either way you have to consider the route home and the population of where you live etc.
ML, thanks for visiting as usual and commenting! I like the idea of groups!
Just me, thanks for visiting and commenting! I agree with you that you have to think about hte environment as you make this decision.
Depends on the length of the route, safety of the roads, etc. At my daughter's school, it is common for third graders and up to walk themselves (though my daughter, a third grader, is completely uninterested in this), but it's four blocks away, and there is a crossing guard at the only busy street.
Kati, Thanks for visiting and commenting! Third grade does seem to be the starting pointing of kids walking to school by themselves.
It may have been a factor of the part of town I grew up in (think police up the street every other night), but I wasn't allowed to walk to or from school until I was in 6th grade, and I had to have a buddy or two.
By myself? Not until 10th grade.
However, after 3rd grade my dad was at least a little sympathetic to the "but it's not cooooooool" complaint, and he'd walk a block behind me.
Homeandhearth, thanks for visiting and for your comment! Your dad had a great idea!
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