Are you able to send your kids outside to play with neighborhood kids?

Question

or do you have to set up playdates? We live in a very rural area and the only way we play with other kids is to have a playdate. (which involves making plans) I grew up in a neighborhood full of kids. We played all day and came home at night to eat or when the street lights came on. Are your kids able to do this or is safety too big a concern or do you have to schedule playtimes?

Just wondering!

Answer 1

i dont have kids but i have lots of siblings and the only neighbors with kids that we have live down the street and our kids and their kids stop by when ever asking if it they could play. we both have pools and lots of kids so we are always running back and forth doing something with the neighbors. its only a saftey concern cause we have black bears that hang around our street but other than that its ok

Answer 2

i would say it depends on the age of your child and the safety of your community my daughter goes out and plays every day she is 10 and she stays in the yard but threes a catch i own 13 acres of land but i would say age community and you are the answer that and you always look out to see whats going on

Answer 3

i don't have kids but i'll tell you how my childhood was.  Back when i was a kid it was pretty safe so in the summer my neighbors and i would knock on each others doors in the morning and go ride our bicycle's or rollerblade, play board games, etc. on our porch or in the block we lived in. Then for dinner we'd go home and go to bed or come back out to play but had to stay on our porch where our parents could watch us.  Now there are no kids playing usually (alot of them grew up like me) or there are but they come out only on occasion. It isn't as safe as it used to be though.

Answer 4

We don't have ANY children on our street so we always set up playdates with friends from church or school to come over to our house and play, have lunch, make crafts, etc... If I did have children on our street, I would allow them to play but only with complete supervision from me. There are too many predators out there just waiting for their chance. In my neighborhood alone, there are over 30 registered s*x offenders!

Answer 5

They could but they don't. One is too shy. The other is too stubborn and selfish. The kid is 2 years younger but the kid could be a friend anyway. It's something constructive to do. The kid says they are social. I hung out with my cousin who was 2 years older. We had great times together.

edit: I was like. I played with all of the neighborhood kids. It was so much fun. The kids are really missing out. I was luckier though because there were so many kids around. In our neighborhood, there is just a few. There does seem to be more in an adjacent neighborhood but I can't get the kids to go walking with us so they could maybe meet them. They are too lazy to walk with us.

Answer 6

We  have to set up play dates, we live a bit in the country and there are not a lot of kids around just farms. We are not farmers but we live in a big farming area and we live on the edge of town just where all the farming starts. I love living here vs. a housing development because of privacy and we don't hear every noise our neighbors make but wish my kids could have neighbors to play with instead of having to spend 15 minutes each way to get them together with friends, but such is life. They do have each other (they are only 2 yrs apart) and they are very close.

Answer 7

when my kids were 9 we moved into "town" and they just go play now.  i grew up the same way you did,,,and we were gone from sun up till the lights were on.  we chose this little town for that hometown feeling,,,nice and small ,,close knit,,and safe.  there are some friends that live out side of town that stayovers are planned.

Answer 8

I live on a small cul-de-sac, and all the children are able to play outside with each other, which is great.  They all help each other learn to ride bikes and roller-blade, and they have fun together.

This has a downside too, though.  There is one very evil boy living in our cul-de-sac, and he terrorizes all the other kids.  So sometimes we actually do schedule playdates at each others houses, simply to avoid this mean child from bullying and hurting our children.  We've tried talking to his mother, and she always has excuses for his behavior and won't discipline him.

Answer 9

We do both here.  We live in a nice, safe neighborhood, on a very quiet side street.  There are a bunch of kids the same age as my kids - so they come home from school, go outside and play until dinnertime.  It is great - they get a ton of outside free time - and if they ever get sick of eachother, they just go home, so they rarely fight.  Reminds me of my childhood.

We do occasionally set up playdates though with friends from school that don't live within walking distance.  These are nice too, but I definitely prefer the neighborhood friend arrangements.

Answer 10

We do a mix.  We're lucky enough to be in a great neighborhood with some other kids nearby, but they're older,-- great for my older two kids, but my younger two kids need me to set up playdates.

I agree that running out into the yard and immediately spotting a playmate beats a playdate scheduled by mom any day!