Switzerland - 5/6 yos walking to school alone

[BioSuisse]

In Switzerland kids seem to either catch the bus to school or walk alone. Next school year DD (5, stb 6) will attend 4 afternoons a week. Meaning walking to school at 8.00, walking to collect her at 11.30, returning her to school at 1.30 and walking back again to pick her up at 3.15.

Most kids here seem to walk to school alone, though i know it is not a British thing to do so. I just had a conversation with her Teacher who suggested i let her walk alone as she thinks DD is mature enough to do it.

The walk is approx 8 minutes and involves crossing two busy roads on pedestrian crossings. It is just through the village though.

Not sure what to do.

[capsium]

To start with you could have a practice journey and get her to tell you when it is safe to cross the roads.

Then you could tell her you will walk behind her to make sure she can manage. Then you could maybe leave her half way / meet her half way.

This would be a way to do it incrementally if launching in at the 'deep end' worries you.

[BioSuisse]

Yes good idea

[capsium]

Pleased to help. Hope she loves her new school!

[kitkatsfordinner]

Hey, we're moving to Switzerland soon. I have 2 little girls and I have read up about them expecting them to walk to school but have to say I didn't realise they expected them to do it alone that early...
Could she maybe meet up with a friend so at least she's not all by herself?

[WallyBantersJunkBox]

They don't tend to walk alone in our village.

Firstly the Kindy class has lessons with the local police in walking the route. What to look for, where and how to cross the road etc.

Then they tend to catch up with other kids on "the walk". Usually you'll see little clusters of kids on the pavement waiting for others to join them with a mother at the door or window.

If you have a busy village centre there will be a police man there in the mornings before school starts to keep an eye on the traffic. Locals drive very slowly 20-30km/hour through the villages or face a very big fine. You often see adults wind the window down and tell the kids to hurry up if they are dallying, stroking cats etc.

They all wear high viz epaulettes over their jackets.

Do you know the family down the road? It might be worth connecting to ask if their kids can wait for yours in the morning to walk together? Take round some biscuits or cake and ask. Our neighbors love little gifts and are generally very friendly.

But it is normal here, we see 3-4 year olds in the morning walking past. These years are spent learning confidence and independence rather than structured education in state schools.

[beresh]

My dd was 5 when we moved here and I was so worried about her walking on her own, it took me a lot longer to get used to than it did her!

We're in a swiss village too and most parents walk with their children until they've had training from the policeman but by the october holidays usually all the kids are going alone.

Might be a good idea to practice stop-look-listen-think over the holidays whenever you cross a road together. Where we are kids are also told to make eye contact with the driver/s at crossings and then stick out their arm to show they're going to walk. They were recently reminded of this advice after a girl was knocked over on the way to school at a crossing by a driver on a mobile phone. Thankfully the girl was fine, just a few cuts and bruises, but it shook everyone up.

Good luck!

[naturalbaby]

I've been told it is a big thing in the first week of school in August - teaching the kids how to walk to school and back safely. I was also told the kindergarten get a visit from the police to talk about road safety. My 4yr old is determined to go alone from day 1 (not happening until I see a dramatic improvement in his road safety skills!).

We moved a few months ago and we took my 5yr old there and back for the morning and afternoon sessions. After a few weeks we let him go alone but followed and went round the next block and checked the other side to make sure he got there. Most of the second year Kindergarten kids from our side of the village go alone in small groups.

[JewelFairies]

I walked to Kindergarten from the age of 4 but having been in the UK for too long I now feel very nervous to let my dd walk to school in Germany from August. I will do it gradually, more for my sake than hers. First all the way to school, then to the school gate, then to the church next to the school, then to the crossing with lollipop parent volunteers etc. I do think it is safety in numbers with most children walking and car drivers are more used to seeing 6 year olds out on their own. I'm still not massively happy (being fed the UK media hype about rapists and abductors at every corner) but it will do her the world of good in confidence and sense of achievement.

[JewelFairies]

That sounds like a nice thing to have, someone else assessing the safest route. Although common sense helps, too. dh and I agree that there is no chance in hell that dd can go the shortcut through a small wood on her own....

[capsium]

Ooh that sounds like something from a fairy tale Jewel....

[JewelFairies]

[JewelFairies]

Luckily Oma doesn't live in a small cottage in the woods...

[capsium]

Are there wolves, though?

[JewelFairies]

Not to my knowledge but wild boar, hares (once saw seven of them at dusk on a meadow- beautiful sight), foxes, deer.. Guess they don't count.

[capsium]

Sounds fab Jewel.

[naturalbaby]

Wild boar?! Where?? We only have deer in our local woods, to my knowledge. I had to do a lot of googling to convince myself there are definitely no bears. If it's safe enough for 2 and 3yr olds in forest school then I'm working on the fact that it must be safe enough for me to go for a walk/run/bike ride alone.

[Delphiniumsblue]

I watched them going to school when I was there last month and thought it lovely- I wish we could do it in Uk.

[cheminotte]

Well I'm in the UK and really jealous. Ds1 is 7 and wants to be allowed to walk on his own and I know he'd be fine, but no-one else does until they are in late Y5 or Y6 - 10ish.

[reddaisy]

My DD is 5 and in reception and would love to walk to school now and I think she could do it safely as she is very sensible. But there is no way I would be allowed to let her, she was incredulous when I told her she wouldn't be allowed until Year 5. But it is only a 10 min walk with no major roads to cross.

[cheminotte]

Really daisy -how will they know how she gets to school? I now have to say goodbye to Ds1at the gate when I drop him off. They will only release to a parent at the moment, but from Y4 they come out of school on their own.

[JewelFairies]

Cheminotte - our current school (UK) expect a parent/ guardian known to the school dropping off and collecting all children. Slightly more relaxed from year 6 only.
Not sure how children are suddenly meant to cope on their own once they are 11ish.
Dd1 will be expected to make her own way to and from school from This autumn (Germany), pack and repack her own school bag, and do her homework independently. It's going to be a shock to her (and me). I can't wait

[WallyBantersJunkBox]

Yes there are wild boars in the Jura mountains. An old colleague of mine lives on the French side and sees them while out skiing. They block the country lane by her house too.

[Delphiniumsblue]

I find they are far more independent earlier across the rest of Europe. Last year I was in Greece where there were a lot of school teacher strikes. Someone asked the woman on reception what she did with her DD- she just looked surprised and said she stayed at home alone, she was a big girl now. It turned out she was 9 yrs.
On the ski slope in France I have just been paired with a 3 yr old on a chair lift and expected to get her on and off.
Both things would be unacceptable to the majority of MN!