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Asking the child
Sit down with a child and ask what they would like to do independently that they're not doing right now. A child may not have thought about it, may assume a parent wouldn't allow it, or may find the idea a little scary.
Making a list
Write the answers down as a list and go through it together. Some items are easy yeses. Others call for a compromise: if riding a bicycle to the other end of town is too far for now, the child can ride to a nearer place alone.
The child names what they want to try without an adult guarding, directing, or protecting along the way, and then gets to do it. It is one of thirteen suggestions in a list on bringing more freedom and independence to children's lives in today's world.
How much has children's roaming range shrunk?
In 1971, Mayer Hillman and colleagues surveyed English families and found that about 80 percent of seven- and eight-year-olds traveled to school without an adult. The 1990 survey, published as One False Move, found the share had fallen to about 9 percent. The researchers also measured how far from home children were allowed to go on their own, and that distance had narrowed too.
What does scaffolding mean in child development?
Jerome Bruner, David Wood, and Gail Ross introduced the term scaffolding in a 1976 paper. They used it to describe how an adult supports a child through a task that is just beyond what the child can do alone. The support is withdrawn gradually as the child gains skill. The same logic applies to stepping from a nearby ride toward a farther one.