Eight reasons to ride or walk to school in 2018

Posted on 29 January, 2018

The start of a new year is a great time to overhaul your family’s routine and form healthy habits.

For kids, walking or riding to school is an easy way to incorporate exercise into the everyday—but it’s something that children and parents alike can feel anxious about. That’s where the Physical Activity Foundation’s Walk or Ride to School program comes in. With funding and support from ACT Health, last year it gave kids from close to 70 Canberra schools the skills, confidence and tools to use active travel as a way to get to and from school.

Here are eight reasons it’s a great idea.

The health benefits of exercise

We all know that there’s an obesity issue in Australia, and unfortunately, our kids are at risk too. According to the 2016 ACT Chief Health Officer’s report, in 2013-14, about 25% of children in the ACT aged 5-17 were overweight or obese.

Walking is an excellent way to incorporate some exercise into your family’s day. Active travel to school has a range of benefits, including healthy bone and muscle development in children, as well as better fitness levels and a healthier weight.

Setting healthy habits and routines

Walking or riding to school has immediate and long-term health benefits. Having a regular habit of walking makes exercise seem like a natural, normal part of life—meaning your kids are more likely to continue to do it as they get older.

When we make something a habit, in a way it becomes less effort—we’re less likely to mentally fight against it, because there’s no decision-making involved—it’s something we just do. This theory works the same way for kids.

Not having to deal with parking

Fact: school mornings are hectic. Between the pickup and drop off and finding a park in a packed carpark or drop off zone, it can be a whole lot easier just to leave the car at home and walk or ride. If you can’t manage the whole trip, walking or riding part way is a great way to start and lots of schools have part way drop off points where you can join others to walk or ride into school together! Feeling less flustered means that you and the kids can have a smooth, calm start to the school day.

Not to mention, using your car less means less money spent on petrol—and it’s better for the environment.

Take advantage of infrastructure

We are very blessed in Canberra to have excellent active travel infrastructure. In the physical sense, we have great bike lanes and trails, footpaths, underpasses, crossings and more.

The Physical Activity Foundation have added another layer of infrastructure through their Ride or Walk to School program. Schools that sign up to the program can receive a set of bikes delivered to their school for five weeks, two hours of free cycle training for teachers, a $500 grant to purchase cycling associated resources for their school and more. Importantly, they can also access a curriculum-aligned classroom cycle program and support to implement the program in their school.

The resources are designed to increase confidence both in teachers and students to create a community-wide cultural change that sees more kids getting active on their way to and from school.

Social benefits

If you have little kids, walking to school together is a great time for you to bond with them. On the way to school, you can chat about what they’re feeling excited or worried about, and the journey home provides a good way to decompress and debrief on the school day.

For older kids, it’s an opportunity for them to socialise with kids from the neighbourhood that they might not mix with during the school day.

Lastly, it’s also a good opportunity to meet new parents during morning drop off or afternoon pick up!

Road safety rules

Teaching your child road safety rules is incredibly important—not only for when they’re walking to school with you but so that you can rest easy knowing that they will practice safety when the time comes for them to walk on their own.

It really is a lifelong skill that’s learned over time with practice. Whether they’re on a bike or on foot, each journey to school will provide an opportunity to learn about road safety.

Mental health benefits

School can be stressful—even for little kids. Having time to walk or ride to school in the morning sets the day off on a positive note. Not only is being active outside good for stress management, but it can also boost creativity.

Whether your kids are riding or walking home from school alone or with a parent, the journey allows a ‘transition’ period where children can reflect or debrief on the school day including any stressors like exams, academic challenges or friendships.

Offsetting screen time

It’s no secret that kids spend far more time in front of a screen that their parents did during childhood. This can lead to a sedentary lifestyle that swaps playing and being active for sitting in front of a computer/tablet/television.

Not only does this mean that kids risk being less active, but it also can affect their sleep by exposing them to high levels of blue light that disrupts the body’s natural circadian rhythm, and also means they potentially miss out on all that nature has to offer.

Walking or riding to and from school gives your child time away from a screen, to move their bodies and appreciate nature. If you’re walking together, be sure to stop and appreciate Canberra’s birds, animals, and beautiful flora.

For more information on the Physical Activity Foundation and the Ride or Walk to School program, please email tara@paf.org.au and have a look at the website paf.org.au. There are currently spaces available for schools to join RWTS in 2018, at no cost!