When my children were younger I walked them to school during the warmer months. It was great exercise for all of us and helped wake my children up in the morning. Now that they are older, in different school districts and I drive other kids home it is not possible.
However I can’t help but notice that so many parents from my neighborhood school drive when they only live a few blocks away. The best way to teach our children anything, including fitness, is through example. If you only live two blocks from school yet you insist on jumping into your car, what is that showing your child?
Because the high school in my local school district is not a very good one, my oldest son attends in another school district which is about 20 minutes away. What I love about that school district is they don’t offer yellow school buses to anyone living in the community.
Some children walk to school, others bike and some even roller blade. I love the sight of hundreds of kids walking to and from school, whereas in other school districts everyone takes a bus.
Think of the benefits to the air and how much pollution could be cut down by eliminating buses but also think about how many more people would be walking.
Even in colder weather, if you dress right you can walk. A few extra bundles and some sweating will help burn more calories. Yet we tend to take the easy way out. It is so much more convenient and less work to hop into the car.
I would encourage parents who take their children to school to walk them to school. What a great family activity to participate in together that is healthy. I would also encourage parents who feel it is safe enough, to allow their children to walk. A little cold weather and rain never hurt anyone. It’s not like we don’t have outerwear that can’t protect us.
This is just one small step in a big direction toward fitness changes. It has to begin somewhere, so why not walking to school?