How old should a child be?

Question

In order to travel back and forth from school to home? and vise versa.

Answer 1

It really depends on a few factors. How close is it from the school to home? Does the child have to cross any really busy streets? Is the child responsible? Are there other children in the neighborhood that the child might walk with? I would say they should be in at least third grade - if all of the circumstances were right (little traffic, responsible child, no younger siblings to attend to at the time).

Answer 2

There are many factors to consider. First, only you know how mature your child is. Also, the route he/she would have to take should always be the same. Hopefully they will have company for a portion of it as the little ones usually walk in patrols from school. The distance they would have to be alone and the time it would take to cover that distance must also be weighed. And finally, are they walking to you, or to an empty house? That is also very important. It's a different world from when we were kids. Most kids 12 and over are capable of doing this, but with the considerations I mentioned above. Street sense is very important also. Be sure they know how to cross a busy street, and never to take a ride. And lastly have them call you wherever you are as soon as they get in the door safely so that if something were to happen, not too much time would go by before you were aware of a problem.

Answer 3

When you say travel, are you talking about walking back and forth, or riding a bike back and forth, or taking the school bus? Personally I would only let my child walk back and forth to school if they were in a group of children or accompanied by adult. Unfortunately, never alone not in this day and age.

Answer 4

Uh... at whatever age they start going to school. I'll assume you meant when can they walk to and from school ALONE. I say it depends on where you live and where the school is. Is the school visible from you house? Do you live in a safe neighborhood and know all your neighbors personally? Are you comfortable letting your child walk to school? Will they be walking with several other kids? Will they need to cross a busy street? These are all things to consider. Base your decision off of that, not necessarily age.

Answer 5

Your child will most likely not be wanting you to still be taking them to school once they reach the seniors so I would start letting them towards the end of year 6 if the school is not too far away.

I once knew a woman who leave her 5 year old to walk to school across a main road by herself everyday. Shocking.

Answer 6

Interesting question. I walked home from school when I was in third grade (8yrs old). My parents house was right down this big hill and up one street from the school house.

My Mom's rule was as long as my neighbor (who was also 8) was walking home that day too, then I'd walk home. On days my neighbor wasn't at school, Mom would either pick me up or I had to go to aftercare because she was afraid of me wlaking by myself.

Answer 7

Well i started walking to school (half a mile away from my house without busy streets) in 5th grade but it really depends on the child's maturity

Answer 8

It depends on how far they are walking, what kind of area are they walking in? Is there a lot of crime? If possible can they walk with a group of students in the area? I would say at least 5th or 6th grade depending on maturity,environment,and length of travel.

Answer 9

My son was 5 when he walked back home by himself. Although we lived 2 blocks away from the school. The same with my daughter.

Answer 10

Please provide more information. How far is home to school? Would the child need to cross any busy streets? Are there traffic lights or stop signs? What time would the child leave in the morning? Would it still be dark, or already dark in the afternoon when he/she comes home?