Is it ok to let a 3rd grader walk home from school alone?

Yes, i think it is okay, depending on where the kid treads on its way to school. Consider the distance, the Crime rate and the traffic conditions that apply to the path it takes to school and then decide for yourself if it is safe.
My parents sent me off alone to school in 1st grade right after start.

I let my kids walk from 3rd grade and up. We lived very close to the school, we live in a tiny town with crossing guards at every corner, and there were sidewalks all the way home. They also walked home with a neighbor’s kid so that made me feel better about it.

I did some crazy stuff in 3rd grade.

This would make me nervous. Do you live near other students so they could walk home together?

Your question reminds me of this editorial that led to a lot of debate about this time last year.

I walked to and from elementary school every day beginning with my first day of kindergarten. My parents didn’t think much of it and either did I. All of the kids in the neighborhood walked to and from school.

My daughter will be in kindergarten in a couple of years and my wife already plans to walk to and from school with her (it’s about a block). I wonder why we are so scared? Are things really so much different from when I was a kid?

To answer your question, though, it would depend on where I lived. If I lived somewhere in Kansas like Junction City (crazy high crime rate) or Topeka (where the people are just crazy) I wouldn’t, but if I lived in Manhattan (again) I might.

Our 3rd grade granddaughter rides her bike to & from school to our house a lot. Granted, it’s only 2 blocks. In your instance I think it’d be fine, also. I’d keep close track of the time, tho. It’s their first taste of independence & of doing something on their own. If you feel the neighborhoods are safe enough, I’d say let her do it, mom.

@phoenyx, the difference is that while children were abducted on the way to and from school 20–30-50–100 years ago, it did not happen with such frequency as it seems to happen now. I’m a believer in enabling children to function in the world they live in. This means that you have to teach them what safe behavior means. In the case of walking home, it means crossing the streets safely, staying together, coming straight home.

It also means that, if a woman pulls up in a car, rolls down the window, and says “I lost my little girl’s dog. Can you come over here and take a look at this picture and tell me if you’ve seen it?” that they recognize that is a dangerous situation. If they can’t see the danger in that situation, they should not be walking home alone. Most kids will approach the car—it’s a woman, it’s a car and not a “white van”, it’s a lost dog, it’s another child’s pet, this is someone’s mom, perhaps there’s other kids nearby—out of a false sense of control of the situation.

I think you know your area better than we do. I personally don’t live close enough to any school to let my child do that.
But, when I was a kid, we lived really close to my first elementary school…it was in the middle of a neighborhood, so no matter what a bunch of kids would all be walking together.
My second elementary school, I was enough distance to get a bus, but still walked home from school. It was not a bad walk, and we weren’t in the greatest neighborhood. I’d even walk the trolley tracks home, and I’m still here to tell it. lol

I think if you think it’s safe, then let them have some freedom, let them be children.

Not a parent but if I were I think I’d have to consider the neighborhood and my child’s behavior. If there was a school bus to take the child to and fro, I’d be fine with that. Socialization is important. Too many parents smother their children. I would of course want to protect my child from danger as much as I could but I wouldn’t want to raise my child to become a helpless adult.

@AlfredaPrufrock
Is it really the the case that abductions have increased or are the infrequent abductions that do happen being reported more frequently by the news media? While doing a search for actual numbers, I came across this article.

That’s a huge town considering the one I live in. I live in one with the population of like 500. Still, crazy things happen here. I think it’s probably fine for your kids to walk if they live that close to the school. However, when I’m a mother I don’t think I’ll let my kids walk unless we live right next to the school. They can go to school on their own when they can drive :)

That was never o.k., they’re too young.

39,000 is a small town?!?!?!?!

I think @AlfredaPrufrock has a great point, whether or not there are more abductions. Some children discern danger earlier than other children and we need to assess whether or not they would know what to do in a particular situation. It’s the same thing with leaving your kids home alone, when are they capable of the responsibility. So, I think the answer is that it depends on the child in addition to the surrounding area, distance, etc. The point is to communicate with your kid and know how they would handle different situations.

It all depends on the area and the kid. I don’t know your town, so you could be anything from “irresponsible” for even considering this as an option, to “paranoid” for worrrying.

In my current town, most of the 10-year-olds just roam around the streets after school, and don’t even go straight home. They spend the afternoons playing with their friends, and parents often don’t even know where their kids are until supper.
Under normal circumstances, I’d allow my daughter the same, even at the age of 7 or so (she’s 4 now and pretty careful for her age). It’s only because she has particular enemies that I wouldn’t let her out of my sight (even when she was at kindergarten in Poland, I spent the whole time parket outside waiting).

I used to take the tube to school as early as 8, all on my own. And that was in London. But I probably wouldn’t let anyone under 17 on their own there nowadays.

Ah….It’s a hard call any more….it so depends on where you live. I’m in Kansas too, with a population of about 12,000, very small town. Never heard of a kid getting abducted or anything…I guess my biggest concern would be crossing the streets and stuff…

I would advise you to be safe and say no.

Wait….3 blocks….THREE blocks? Is someone around that can watch him? I mean…you can see 3 blocks easily from the house…..if someone is there to watch (unobtrusively) I’d say Yes…it’ll build the child’s confidence….

I live in a town of three thousand and I let my sons walk home in second grade. They only had one intersection to cross and it had a crossing guard so I felt that they would be safe. If they had many streets to cross, I probably would have been more protective of them.

This is a great time for them to build their confidence, like @Dutchess12 said. Does your child have a friend that he/she can walk with? It helps to have a buddy.

@jonsblond My son goes to a magnet school and my daughter goes to a regular school so the older one, my daughter, doesn’t know anyone at that school. My biggest worry with the whole scenario is crossing a busy street, but they have crossing guards and stop lights where they cross so I know they are safe. I also know I don’t have to worry to much about being abducted because there are hundreds of people around picking kids up from school and I doubt anyone would just go up and try to abduct any kids. I guess my biggest problem is that the kids are getting older and I don’t want them to.

@miasmom I wonder what age you can legally leave kids at home alone. I’ve left mine for maybe 10 minutes when I ran to the store to get something. Of course I told them not to answer the door or anything and that I’d be right back. My daughter thought that was the coolest thing she ever got to do. They are too young to stay home for an extended period though. My sister and I stayed home alone all the time, when we were young, my folks went to work early in the morning and I would get us up and ready for school alone. We lived way out in the country and my grandma lived on the same driveway, so it was alright, I guess. Nothing ever happened.

@knitfroggy I had a neighbor who left her kids at home alot, some people called the police on her because they didn’t think it was safe, the police were initially concerned because the kids were young, I don’t remember exact ages at the time, but after they talked to the kids and learned that they knew when to call 911, what else they could do if it wasn’t an emergency, etc, they weren’t concerned anymore. So I don’t think there is an exact age, rather when a kid understands how to deal with circumstances. Time left alone is a biggie too, is it for 30 minutes or 2 hours. I think gently easing kids into that by slowly increasing the time you are away is the best way to deal with it.