Playing outside paranoia and does it matter how many kids are outside at the same time? Is “safety in numbers” real?

[Anonymous]

Nope, six year olds should be supervised.

[Anonymous]

I certainly wouldn't worry about abductions, if that's what you're getting at, but I wouldn't let a 6-year old play in a group like this without adult supervision. In my experience this type of situation never goes well. I'd start allowing more independence at the earliest 7 years old, but for my kids I think it was more like 8 when I was comfortable with this type of thing. They don't have enough judgement before that, and you can't trust older kids to keep them safe or treat them well unless they're siblings. On the other hand if it's a few similarly aged kids, I think it's fine in your own yard or otherwise close enough that you can just pop out and check on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that there is safety in numbers abductionwise but abductions are very rare.

I think a much more likely problem with a 6 year old is a kid running into the street after a ball and getting hit, or a fall from the monkey bars, etc . . . I think that having older kids who would go for help is a benefit in this situation. On the other hand, I think that there are some older kids who will stop a younger kid from doing something unsafe, and some that will egg the kid on. So, knowing the dynamic is hard.

This. I'd probably still supervise a 6 yr old (even just sitting on a bench with a book within eyesight -- you don't have to be at the playground hovering) but by 7 if they'd demonstrated sound judgment I'd be willing to let them go without me as long as there was at least one other kid there.