Parys is a small town and it is in this environment that children can walk to and from school.
For drop-off and pick-up there is so much congestion with cars dropping off kids. Most people live within 3km of the schools, and yet, we transport our children everywhere.
Most of us walked to school or home. Why are parents not letting their children do it now?
- Children can walk with other children going the same way.
- One child walking on their own can be a perceived safety risk, therefore get safety in numbers.
- All of the normal safety rules apply -do not get into a stranger’s car and don’t talk to strangers.
Why let your child walk/ride to school?
- Gives them independence.
- Teaches responsibility to get to school on time.
- They learn the roads and gain spatial awareness of places in the town.
- Teaches them road safety and awareness.
- It frees the parent from running after the child and doing everything for them.
- Children can walk with other children that live in a similar location – social interaction.
- With too much screen time, physical activity is at an all-time low. Having your child walk/bike to school means they are guaranteed 20-60 minutes of activity every week day!
All a child will need is a comfortable backpack, a bicycle and key for the house.
A BIG problem though is the weight and load in children’s bags… and this is a big problem that has to be addressed directly to the schools.
We actually need the schools on board and for them to drive an initiative to make children more active, independent and responsible.
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