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Why Free Play is the Best Summer School
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:14 am
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:14 am
The Atlantic
Good article that will read as common sense for some.
But I'm bringing this to the OT with this question: Are any of you comfortable letting your six year old roam the neighborhood unsupervised?
I would love to live in a world where I could give my kids the freedom to explore like that, but is that the world we still occupy?
I know people will come in here citing reduced crime rates, extremely low incidence of non-related kidnappings, etc. I believe all of that but jumping from that to tranquilly telling my 6 year old "see you later" as she walks out the front door alone is not so easy.
quote:
The more time children spend in structured, parent-guided activities, the worse their ability to work productively towards self-directed goals.
quote:
Time for kids to bolt for the schoolhouse doors for two long months of play, to explore their neighborhoods and discover the mysteries, treasures, and dramas they have to offer. This childhood idyll will hold true for some children, but for many kids, the coming of summer signals little more than a seasonal shift from one set of scheduled, adult-supervised lessons and activities to another.
quote:
The authors studied the schedules and play habits of 70 six-year-old children
Good article that will read as common sense for some.
But I'm bringing this to the OT with this question: Are any of you comfortable letting your six year old roam the neighborhood unsupervised?
I would love to live in a world where I could give my kids the freedom to explore like that, but is that the world we still occupy?
I know people will come in here citing reduced crime rates, extremely low incidence of non-related kidnappings, etc. I believe all of that but jumping from that to tranquilly telling my 6 year old "see you later" as she walks out the front door alone is not so easy.
This post was edited on 6/25/14 at 10:15 am
10
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:16 am to uway
quote:
But I'm bringing this to the OT with this question: Are any of you comfortable letting your six year old roam the neighborhood unsupervised?
We've started to let our 8 year old do it a bit. A lot of people think we're nuts. I think the mentality that they shouldn't do such under any circumstances is.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:16 am to uway
i was talking about this with a colleague the other day. bb-gun wars aren't the best idea, but are probably less damaging than over-structuring/protecting or sitting in front of a tv/game etc.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:18 am to uway
quote:I would probably be a bit wary of my 4 year old roaming the neighborhood. But if she were a little older, I'd probably let her go here and there especially if I knew my neighbors well enough and set some ground rules for her.
Good article that will read as common sense for some.
But I'm bringing this to the OT with this question: Are any of you comfortable letting your six year old roam the neighborhood unsupervised?
That's how my childhood was. Summer came, not many camps for me. My mom stayed at home, but as soon as the sun came up it was time to organize a baseball game or basketball tournament for the day. We played a lot outside.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:19 am to uway
Depends on the neighborhood. My neighborhood had a ton of kids my age when I was growing up and not many crazy teenagers driving around at 40 mph in a 25. Plus, it was a giant freaking loop (looked like a lasso), so it wasn't like I was going out onto a major road. I don't recall when exactly I could explore the entire neighborhood on my own rather than just go play in the yard, but it was very young. I know by six I was riding my scooter all over the damn place.
This post was edited on 6/25/14 at 10:21 am
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:20 am to uway
quote:
Are any of you comfortable letting your six year old roam the neighborhood unsupervised?
i did. there were still huge wooded areas all around where i grew up in BR, swamps, etc. my friends and i lived outdoors. i had a fairly short leash at 6 but not by 8 or 9.
we had regular pickup football, soccer, baseball games.
i rode my bike all around BR (not so safe), we road go-carts and dirt bikes (motorized). went on Tom Sawyer adventures on the bayou.
of course, we also stole cigarettes, found dirty books and mags in the woods, ran a baseball card scam, etc. all part of growing up.
damn, no wonder i've waited so long to have kids.
This post was edited on 6/25/14 at 10:50 am
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:21 am to McLemore
It seems like there must be neighborhoods in America with a pack of kids running around, safely watched over (from a distance) by neighborhood moms, mailmen, etc, but I don't think those neighborhoods are in South LA.
Maybe in Wisconsin or something.
Is that just my latent racism/classism making me think that?
Funny thing is, the poorer parts of our society already let their kids do this.
Maybe in Wisconsin or something.
Is that just my latent racism/classism making me think that?
Funny thing is, the poorer parts of our society already let their kids do this.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:25 am to uway
quote:
It seems like there must be neighborhoods in America with a pack of kids running around, safely watched over (from a distance) by neighborhood moms, mailmen, etc, but I don't think those neighborhoods are in South LA.
They probably exist. I bet Zachary has neighborhoods like it. You probably wouldn't want to allow them to run around if you live in the Garden District, though. That seems a bit like you're a glutton for punishment.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:25 am to uway
Hm, this must be why young urban males are so well-adjusted. All the unsupervised "free time" they get, starting at the age of 6 or so.
ETA: My non-smartass answer is that it depends on the speed limit of the surrounding streets. I would not trust a 6 or 8 year old if we're within a block or two of 35 or 40 mph speed limits. Cars are by far the greatest danger they face.
ETA: My non-smartass answer is that it depends on the speed limit of the surrounding streets. I would not trust a 6 or 8 year old if we're within a block or two of 35 or 40 mph speed limits. Cars are by far the greatest danger they face.
This post was edited on 6/25/14 at 10:27 am
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:26 am to uway
quote:
But I'm bringing this to the OT with this question: Are any of you comfortable letting your six year old roam the neighborhood unsupervised?
Depends on the neighborhood. Where I currently live in BR? Not really. I might let them go a few places, but it's nowhere near safe.
Where I grew up? Absolutely.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:30 am to uway
there is a group of kids that plays all day, everyday on my street right now
age ranges from 6ish to 10ish
I like seeing the kids play in the streets, makes it feel like a neighborhood
age ranges from 6ish to 10ish
I like seeing the kids play in the streets, makes it feel like a neighborhood
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:44 am to Salmon
quote:
there is a group of kids that plays all day, everyday on my street right now
age ranges from 6ish to 10ish
Where?
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:47 am to uway
Shreveport - Broadmoor neighborhood
It is usually a group of about 5-8, which if my daughter was with them, would make me feel better (safety in numbers)
It is usually a group of about 5-8, which if my daughter was with them, would make me feel better (safety in numbers)
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:47 am to Cold Cous Cous
quote:
Hm, this must be why young urban males are so well-adjusted. All the unsupervised "free time" they get, starting at the age of 6 or so.
Good point but by the time they're 6, a lot of the raising of them has already happened. It's not like urban males go out into the neighborhood as blank slates at 5 or 6.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:49 am to Salmon
quote:+1. It's how it should be.
I like seeing the kids play in the streets, makes it feel like a neighborhood
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:50 am to uway
I have a 7 year old. Basically he has a 5 house radius that he can play in unsupervised. I'm not letting him go unsupervised all over the neighborhood. for another year or two.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 10:56 am to uway
I was born in 85, so that gives you a reference for when I was running around. At age 6, I was allowed a couple blocks away from the house by roadway and I was allowed to go to the other side of the horse farm next to our property. A couple years later I had free reign and a range of about a square mile, maybe more. if I lived in the same neighborhood I grew up in and had kids, I'd let them do the same. If I had kids in the neighborhood I live in now, they'd have a shorter leash in certain directions as there are some large roadways and less-desirable neighborhoods where bullets are likely to fly.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 11:00 am to BottomlandBrew
quote:
I was born in 85, so that gives you a reference for when I was running around. At age 6, I was allowed a couple blocks away from the house by roadway and I was allowed to go to the other side of the horse farm next to our property. A couple years later I had free reign and a range of about a square mile, maybe more. if I lived in the same neighborhood I grew up in and had kids, I'd let them do the same. If I had kids in the neighborhood I live in now, they'd have a shorter leash in certain directions as there are some large roadways and less-desirable neighborhoods where bullets are likely to fly.
Growing up, I had a fairly short leash due to the fact that we lived on a busy rural hwy. My dad didn't want us crossing the street and walking over a bridge to my cousins' houses, but I always ignored him. Back then, the path to the back of our property was blocked by barbed wire fences and a large gate, so I rarely went too far into the woods and swamp. I could wander (though rarely did) as far as St. Amant Park to the north, my neighbor/cousin's house to the west, and my Aunt Janie's house/stringer bridge to the east.
It was a great place to grow up.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 11:23 am to uway
quote:
It seems like there must be neighborhoods in America with a pack of kids running around, safely watched over (from a distance) by neighborhood moms, mailmen, etc, but I don't think those neighborhoods are in South LA. Maybe in Wisconsin or something.
I was in Seattle some months ago and I saw something I have not seen in the South in decades, it was abut 3 PM, and I noticed there were school aged kids all the way from 6 or 7 years old to teenagers walking everywhere, it seemed very odd to me, and then I realized school had let out and these kids were all walking home from school.
Posted on 6/25/14 at 11:32 am to EA6B
quote:
I was in Seattle some months ago and I saw something I have not seen in the South in decades, it was abut 3 PM, and I noticed there were school aged kids all the way from 6 or 7 years old to teenagers walking everywhere, it seemed very odd to me, and then I realized school had let out and these kids were all walking home from school.
I didn't walk home that young, but in junior high we'd walk a few miles home from school. Was really fun.
Remember that lady a few years ago that caught flak for letting her little boy ride the NYC subway alone? She has a blog: Free Range Kids
Judging by the few stories in this thread and what I remember from my own childhood, it seems that those of us who grew up in the 80s had a lot more freedom than the kids of today.
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