When Can My Tween Walk to School Alone?

When I was a tween, I walked to school daily through the neighborhood, waving to my neighbors the entire way. I don't see as much of that sort of thing in our current day and my thoughts are why not? Deciding if tweens are ready to walk to school is a bit of a process, and taking some precautionary steps while making that decision is smart parenting at work. Here's a few steps I remember going through with my parents as I grew older and able to start walking to school.

Use the Same Route

Emphasize the importance of your tween taking the same route on a daily basis, in the event that there is a problem of some sort and you have to find your child. In this way, both you and your child will on the same page about where they were at an approximate time on their way to school, and you'll have a starting point with which to begin with.

Walk With Your Tween

For the first few times out, while you and your tween are both becoming familiar with your new school route, be sure to go with your child. After accompanying he or she for a couple of weeks, you both will become more comfortable with all of the stops for traffic crossings and other glitches there may be on your route. As the adult, be sure to evaluate how careful your tween is along the way to gauge when you feel right about letting him/her alone on the new route.

Put Your Tween in Charge

Once your child and you feel familiar enough with the route, it's time to put him/her in charge of the outing. Have them tell you the sequence of streets to take as they go along. Be sure he knows where and when to turn as well as when it's a good time for street crossings. This will nurture confidence for both of you. As the parent, it's important for you to feel confident that your child is managing this new responsibility well.

Keep Open Communication

Consider giving your tween a cell phone just for these walking trips if nothing else. This will keep your communication open between you both while he's walking, and you'll feel at ease that there's a mode of communicating in the event of an emergency.