Whether or not a child is old enough to be left at home alone is a common question parents ask themselves. There are going to be a lot of circumstances to consider, and as no two families are the same, it’s up to you to use your best judgement. Here is a guide from a private school in London to help.
Old Enough to Be Left at Home Alone? Is your child mature enough?
When we say “mature enough”, we mean are they able to handle themselves independently without any issues? If they struggle with picking things up while you’re gone, or are unsure what responsibility really means, then it will be a lot harder to leave them on their own. Think about how they would react if a stranger knocked on the door, or if they would be calm in an emergency situation!
In these cases it will be worth testing how your child does for an hour at a time. Head out on a walk without them and see how they do in the home. Increase this time as you go along to improve their confidence.
Old Enough to Be Left at Home Alone? Does your child have a lot of responsibilities?
Children will be given a number of different tasks and responsibilities to keep them improving on their skills. There’s a lot you can give to them that will help with this. You can get them involved in cooking each week, to help them learn about easy recipes, or get them to clean up around the house.
Giving these responsibilities to your child is going to help with their understanding of what they should be doing around the home to ease the pressure off you. And in doing so they’re going to be much more reliable in the future, and better on their own.
Old Enough to Be Left at Home Alone? What are the government requirements?
While your child might be of a certain level of maturity it doesn’t mean they can be left for very long periods of time. The recommendation for children to start being left on their own is from age 12 onwards, but this should only be for short periods. Children shouldn’t be left alone overnight, which still applies if your child is staying for a sleepover with friends.