5 very practical things we do to have free-range kids

And not panic all the time.

Most people, I think, like the idea of their kids playing outside without a grown-up present.

Maybe you’re motivated by sunny memories of your own childhood, one in which you biked to friends’ houses, built forts in the woods, invented elaborate games with neighborhood friends, or shot three-pointers for hours at a nearby hoop, and you want your kids to have their own stockpile of golden memories.

Maybe you’ve read The Anxious Generation. You agree that physical play, outdoors and with other children of mixed ages, is the healthiest, most natural, and most beneficial sort of play. You want your kids to learn to look after themselves and others, to tolerate bruises, to judge risk, to handle their emotions and read the emotions of others, to resolve conflicts, and to learn that — even if something goes wrong! — they can usually work through it without calling in an adult.

Or maybe it just sounds nice to have a few quiet minutes alone inside your own home.

These are all excellent reasons. Unfortunately, they can all be overruled by the same understandable but ultimately unproductive fear: what if something terrible happens to my children when they’re out of my sight?

This is a somewhat unavoidable fear — as far as I know, there’s no cure for the insanity of your heart walking around outside your body — and John and I feel it just like all other parents. We are convinced, though, that the benefits of free-range play outweigh the risks. And so, just as with many other parenting situations we find ourselves in, we have to move forward with imperfect solutions and with, at times, fear and trembling.

But the good news is that we have found a few very practical ways to lessen that fear and trembling, things that make it easier for us to release our kids into the world and feel good about it. I’d love to share them with you today. If you’ve ever struggled with wanting to give your kids more free-range play but feel unsure how to do it, this is for you.