Walk, cycle or scoot to school and improve your physical and mental fitness as part of your normal day. If you can make it work for you then it is win, win all round.

With more than 50% of children in the UK missing out on the recommended sixty minutes of moderate-vigorous exercise a day, getting to school on foot, cycle or scooter allows you to build activity into a daily routine.

As we approach the start of a new school year now is the perfect opportunity to plan those journeys to and from school. It is also the perfect time to prepare your children for it too, especially if this will be the start of them walking themselves to school.

How to have a more active journey

Whether you walk or cycle or scoot or roller skate, here are a few things to consider to get yourself ready for a new active journey:

  1. Plan your route – it might be a journey you have done a thousand times, but knowing exactly where you are going and how long it takes will help your journey run as smoothly and stress-free as possible. If you have a child that’s going to start walking themselves to school for the first time, do a practice run. Point out the busy roads and junctions they will come across and help them identify the safest routes, using pedestrian crossings wherever possible.
  2. Be safe – accidents do happen so ensure you all have the correct safety equipment no matter how many wheels you are travelling on. The road safety charity, Brake have some great advice for parents and families or if you want more hands on advice for cycling you could book on to a Bikeability course. 
  3. Park and Stride – if leaving the car or public transport completely behind just isn’t an option for you, consider Park and Stride.  Drive or use public transport to get to a location 10-15 minutes’ walk away from the school, then walk the rest of the way. You get some steps in and help to ease congestion at the school gates.
  4. Mix it up – with planning in mind, it doesn’t have to be the same route every day! But you can also try different modes of transport to keep it interesting. We have already mentioned bikes and scooters, but what other wheels do your children enjoy? Keen skateboarder? Excellent! Work it into your school run.
  5. Make it fun – you can subscribe to the Sustrans’ Outside In newsletter for fun activities and challenges to encourage your kids to be more active en route.

So, how will your journeys to school look in a few weeks’ time? We’d love to hear about what your new routine will look like.

Don’t forget to take a look at going back to school – top tips for parents and carers.