Letting Your Kids Walk to School
When I was growing up, I can remember walking to and from school at a pretty early age. My early years, we lived very close to my elementary school, I just followed our street to the end of the block and walked through the school gate. When we moved, I walked to a bus stop by myself in the morning, waited for the bus and then walked from the bus stop on the way home. I played in the neighborhood, I rode my bike from one friend’s house to another. In High School I walked miles to visit friends or go to work. But that was many years ago, times have changed. Many of us question if our child is old enough to walk to to school, or even just to the bus stop.
I received a V.ALRT in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
The V.ALRT, Personal Emergency Alert Device, is an ergonomically designed device that can be carried discreetly in a pocket or a bag, worn on the wrist with the included band or around the neck as a pendant. Using Bluetooth® SMART (Bluetooth 4.0 LE) technology in association with a software application from VSN Mobil, the V.ALRT initiates calls and text messages from a smartphone. With the push of a button, the V.ALRT pings the smartphone to send personalized texts to three pre-selected contacts. The customizable message will indicate that help is needed and also provide location information using the GPS feature on the smartphone (when available). The V.ALRT application can also be set to initiate a follow up phone call from the smartphone to get the attention of the recipient. 
The V.ALRT is small and easy to use and set up. I am a huge fan of any device that has an easy app set up. It drives me nuts when you get something you are so excited to use and then you spend hours trying to get the app to sync up to the device. Not so at all with the V.ALRT. I have my almost 8 year old wear the V.ALRT when she rides her bike up and down our block. I feel much better letting her go out. I think it’s amazing that you don’t have to continually charge it and that it has so many different ways to wear it. Grab one here! My babies the most important thing in my life, but I understand that I have to let them go sometimes. Trust yourself and your instincts when you need to decide about letting your kids walk to school.
We live about 3 blocks from our school but I will be waiting until my kids are at least 12 before they will be allowed to walk to school by themselves.
Maybe when my daughter is 12 she can walk to school by herself
I don’t know when I would let my kids walk to school. I know it helps with their independence but if I am available to take them or at least walk with them I do not see why to take that risk.
Would allow them to walk to school only after that have demonstrated a little more maturity.
I’d let them walk to school when they are in middle school
If we lived closer to the school I might consider it at the age of thirteen but we currently live to far for them to walk.
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We are too far to walk to any of our schools!
The schools are not close to our house so it is not a concern of mine
Depends on the child’s maturity, maybe 10 to 12 yrs old.
We are too far to walk to any of our schools!
This would give me an added security for a grandson that runs away from me in public areas..
we’re to far for them to walk
Middle school age is ok but high school age will make me feel more comfortable!
Too far.
I probably never would, but I’m not completely positive.
8th grade and I’m still terrified every day she leaves. My little one isn’t in school yet but it’s going to be the same fear with her too.
My children started walking to school this past year. My ten year old would walk with his 8 year old brother.
I would let them start walking to school when they demonstrate that they are safety aware (paying attention to crossing streets, follow directions, and alert for stranger danger).
I would let them walk to school when they are 12 years old.
I’d let my kid walk to school in middle school, but not elementary school UNLESS we lived right down the street
I did let mine walk to school when we lived in a very small town, after they were 9-10. They just are not ready to cross a street until that age.. until then, they can’t judge the speed of the cars! And you cannot trust most drivers to stop by the crosswalks, as they are supposed to!
I have never let my kid walk to school- not sure if I ever would in this town.
I wouldn’t let my kids walk to school by themselves until middle school.
With something like the V-Alrt, I would be more likely to allow my child out. I wish the company would find a way to have the texts sent to 911 or have the phone dial 911 instead. Because not everyone walking around is a child. What about adults, esp. in South Florida, who have no local family and friends might not hear that text alert? A contact to 911 is almost a necessity for those folks.
We were thinking about letting our elementary child walk home. Although, it is such a difficult decision.
Never. The road I live on is used as a short cut to the high school. So far we have replaced our mailboxes six times due to the teenagers losing control and wrecking. No way would I let one of my children walk on that road.