At what age do you allow your child to bike ride by him or herself to and around the park? Is 12 old enough?
That all depends upon how far the park is...also how well the child is developed mentally and physically in handling situations that would come up.
yes..12 is defiantely old enough..think of it this way, in four years, your child will legally be able to drive. You should probably start somewhere.
yes definitely, well when I was a kid (I'm 27) I rode by myself since 4th grade, which I think was 10. But my Dad grilled in all the safety stuff I needed to comply with...
I am not sure about that. It would depend on how mature the child is and the area they are riding in. My daughter allows her 8 year-old daughter to ride her bike to the park a few blocks from their house. Which I don't approve of, but my daughter says its safe and she trusts her.
By 12 your child is old enough to babysit and bring kids with him to the park. So, yes, plenty old enough. BTW, May 22 is "Take your kids to the park and leave them there day" http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/ Might be a great day to practice leaving him to his own devices :)
I have in the past let my 12 year olds ride bike across our little town with no worries, but I have been noticing a lot of "crazy" driving by all age groups. Some are on the phone, others are just racing around-not stopping at stop signs. . . I am reconsidering even my 14 year old riding bike at certain times of day. Your child can wear their helmet and obey all the safety rules, but other peoples actions are out of their control. Take this into consideration.
M.,
I think it depends more about where you live and the maturity of your child than the age. We live in a tight knit, very safe neighborhood. I let my nine year old walk about 3-4 minutes by herself to her friend's house if I call the friend's mom first so she knows to expect her. I have let my nine and seven year olds walk 5-6 minutes to a friend's house together. I think I would let my daughter go to the park alone by the time she was twelve because it's a very safe neighborhood and only our neighbors use the park. I rode my bike to the park alone when I was about 10. The rate of stranger abduction isn't any higher (still about 100 cases per year) but drug and gang related problems are higher than they were 30 years ago.
Good luck,
S.
It would all depend on how far the park is. I would use your own judgement, is he/she following all the rules and being responsible? Is he/she going to the park with a group of friends? Then I would let him/her spread their wings a bit. By the time they are 12, at least here in Nebr they are allowed to ride their bikes to school. For my child age 12 was old enough to let them go riding around the neighborhood but use your own judgement.
I would say that 12 is old enough. A 12 year old can take a babysitting coarse and get a paper route. If your child is responsible it should be ok.
as long as your child is responsible and knows stranger danger than yes! just set up rules and times for him to check in or return home. Shorter times at first until you know hes responsible
