A survey by the University of Westminster’s Policy Institute compared how much freedom children have to go out and play in their local neighbourhoods in 16 countries.
Researchers put Finland at the top, as the country where parents gave children the most freedom to move around on their own, with the majority of eight-year-olds allowed to cross main roads, travel home from school and go out after dark alone.
The majority of Finnish children can:
England was placed seventh in the survey, behind Denmark, Japan, Sweden, Norway and Germany.
The report, the latest in a series looking at the issue, makes a number of recommendations to increase children’s freedom. These include stricter road safety measures, reducing dependency on cars and adopting daylight saving timing to allow children longer daylight hours and cut road accidents.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here