Walk To School Week (19-23 May)
If you usually drive your children to school and can’t walk the whole journey, you can still join in by parking a little further away and maybe walking at least some of the way.
Walking is one of the easiest (and free!) ways to improve health and wellbeing. Starting the day with a walk to school helps children to feel wide awake and ready to learn when they arrive.
Make it fun for younger children!
- Ask parents who live nearby to join you and all walk together!
- Take it in turns with other parents to walk children to school.
- Download a copy of our ‘What did you see?’ A to Z to spot things beginning with every letter of the alphabet on your way to school! (If you can find something beginning with X or Z we want to know!)
- Encourage your child to boost their health by cycling or scooting to school as a healthy alternative.
Being physically active can help children in lots of ways. It can have a really positive effect on mental well-being and sleep quality. It also improves personal and social development and helps to build strength in bones, muscles, hearts and lungs.
For older children:
- Encourage them to walk to school with friends so they have more time to catch up!
- If they don’t want to walk and they have a bike, encourage them to cycle to school.
- Encourage young people to eat a nutritious breakfast before they leave, so they are fuelled for the day.
NHS guidelines recommend that children 5 to 18 years should do at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity each day. It’s also important to reduce the amount of time spent sitting or lying down and break it up with some activity. More info here.
