Does Your 11 Year Old Still Want to Play on the McDonald's Playground?

Are you kidding???

In highschool when they first came out with these things *I* still wanted to play in them!!! Lol... I'm 33... And that hasn't changed :) they're wicked cool. 3 story slides, ropes, towers, obstacles, climbing, sliding, bouncing, wriggling... What's not to love?

Yep. My 10yo also loves them.

An 11 yr old acting like an 11 yr old? This is a problem? In what way? She's doing what she is supposed to do-be a child. In two years you will not only not recognize her-you will be begging to be able to go back to this time-enjoy it! Maybe if she remains active, she will stay fit? Don't rush this along-it goes by so quickly. Let her be young-soon, her peers will do everything in their power to crush this.

There are some kids that are your daughter's age that I would take no issue with them playing on the playground. The majority of the ones I HAVE ENCOUNTERED, however, are kids who are not being monitored by adults, are being allowed to run rampant, and are knocking my 3 year old down or pushing her aside. As long as she is kind and considerate of the younger users, I see no issue.

My 11 year old is the same size as your daughter and he loves playing in places like that! We let him too. He ends up "being in charge" of his 3 year old sister somewhat but he is still playing and having fun with his sister and younger brother.
An 11 year old is still a child. I do not know when they started being considered little adults. It wasn't that way when I was 11. I still went to the playground, still played with my dolls and barbies etc.
So long as she's not being aggressive and being mindful of those around her, especially the smaller ones, go let her have fun. I've seen 2 and 3 year olds being more aggressive than my oldest would ever dare to be. I am bothered more by them then I am a well behaved older child.

I think it's okay. My kids did not want to play at this age, but even if they did, I would most likely preface it with, "Sure, but be careful around the little kids".

I agree with the other post... let her be a kid as long as you can...

:)

Well, I don't really care how old a kid is, as long as they're acting properly & following the rules.

I used to love when a sweet older child would take DD on & be sort of a big brother/big sister to her, and guide her around & help her. Not all big kids are mean. In fact, I've had more issues with unsupervised younger kids, personally. There are just as many (if not more) kids under 10 that rough house & have no idea how to play with others & be nice.

I also disagree w/a PP - there are NOT many places for an 11 year old to go that are completely free & indoors, especially during a hot Southwest day. It all costs money. 11 year olds are caught in that "in between" space of not being a little kid, but not being a teen either. It's got to be frustrating.

I think it's cool that your DD still likes it. It's better than sitting at home tweaking out on electronics and zoning out or being worried about boys or makeup. She's still a kid, and I'm not sure when 11 wasn't considered a kid. Something is definitely wrong with our society, that's for sure!

As a parent...I kind of hate it. My son has been taken out by big kids being foolish. We left with him bleeding once. There a re SO many other things big kids could do, and I wish parents would just leave play places for little ones. Yes, I think it's annoying. More often then not, dangerous.

Just my opinion.

My 10 yr old son still loves to play on them.

Heck, I want to play on the McDonalds playscapes, but I know it would look creepy. I guess this is why I like water parks and amusement parks...

Let her be a child as long as she can. No judgement, let her be herself. Just remind her to be careful of the little kids.

She is not quite a tween yet, so even though to you she may look older, she is still a little girl in elementary school. Thay still have a recess at her school? But I bet it is a shorter time?

This is normal. Some girls this age still play with Barbies, doll houses etc..

I can't believe someone makes MacDonald's ball pits "political" - ugh.

My own kids found a dirty diaper in MacDonald's ball pit one time. I nearly hurled. They were washing their hands for 5 minutes over that, and when I asked for a manager, I got a kid who looked all of 17. (They all look younger when we're older, LOL!) I don't really know how old he was, but he was YOUNG enough to just say thanks for telling him and go back to what he was doing.

We are talking about POOP in the balls, people.

This is the kind of stuff we put our kids in at places like MacDonalds, because the staff doesn't care about the ball pit. If that had been in MY town, I would have raised a stink over it, but we were traveling.

My kids didn't want to play in the balls anymore after that.

That doesn't really answer your question, but like you, I wouldn't want big kids in the balls with little kids. I think it's a bad mix.

Dawn

My 10 year old wouldn't ask to go to a McD's playland to play, but if we are already there, and his brother is playing, he usually plays for a while. He will lose interest pretty quick, unless there is someone to play a game with, such as tag. When my kids were tiny they were always delighted when older kids would play on the structure, especially if the olders kids payed attention to them and included them in their play.

I wanted to play PAST age 11. At about age 11, I remember spending HOURS in the ball pit and hiding out so they didn't kick me out. There was a height limit. We are lucky we still have some ball pits around here. They defined my childhood. I am still bitter about being too tall for some of them as a kid (I'm tall, so even when I was 6!). It was a huge deal in my life and to this day I make a point to take my kids to the McDonald's playground and ballpits. And I never got over the humiliation and unfairness of being told I was too old, ever.

I can still get into these places because I have to go in WITH my toddler, to, um, help him. :)

I can't imagine what reading sanitation reports have to do with being a liberal, but if that means conservatives embrace the high e-coli counts found in a food establishment play area , so be it. I don't think that's what you want to say...

Nothing political about it -- the playland near us is filthy -- visibly so, not just on a microbial level. To answer the poster's question, my 10 year old (who weighs 60 pounds) would happily play there with her brother! We don't go to McD any more -- but if there's a playground, she's on it, and I expect she will be for several year to come. That being said, I used to be upset when my kids were little and big kids were playing recklessly near them and it forced us to leave play areas designed for their ages more than a few times. So I would just be careful about letting them play if there are a lot of little ones around. Funny, though, the last few times we were at the McD playland, it was dead empty.

Our McDonalds doesn't have a playground anymore...our liberals here got rid of it (not kidding...said it was too dangerous and unsanitary)....

Soooo our McD's now has four (4) computers with games on them!!! And that's fun (not!) because there is only one station and only 4 computers...so only 4 kids can play.....

When we did have a playground? there was a height limit for the kids being able to play....as they usually were "rougher" than the younger ones...

My 10.5 yr old daughter who is also 5', 100 lbs still like to play at those places. She loses interest pretty quickly though.

*I* still want to play in them! LOL!

When I was 17-18, and no one else was there, I totally played in them. lol.

I don't mind when older kids play around my little one, so long as they are MINDFUL of the fact that there are little kids around. :)

If I asked my 9 year old right now, he'd smirk, but if we were there, he'd probably Play! Lol
But arent they are disgustingly filthy? Mostly because people aren't particular enough about keeping their kids out when they're snotty, hacking, and I've seen MANY a diaper bursting at the seams! Blech!
Maybe that's why some have been closed. Because not all people can/will be personally responsible?
Just take a vat of sanitizer! Lol and let her play! My 9 year old is bery gentle with the little ones! I'll bet your 11 year old is too. She's not breaking any rules.

It's too bad that we are older for a lot longer than we are young......
I turned 46 10 days ago, my mom died 4 days ago, and I have zero interest in playing.....

Yes and it does say up to age 12.

It is refreshing to hear that an 11 year old wants to play. Sign says 12 years. She is fine. Hope she had a blast!