Participate in International Walk to School Day on October 4th 2017!
In October we celebrate active travel by encouraging students to walk or bike between home and school. Walking or cycling to school gets kids outside every day actively enjoying their natural environment. They arrive at school better able to concentrate and learn.
“In the 2015 ParticipACTION Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, the overall grade for Canadian children and youth remains at a D- for the third year in a row. Overall, only 9% of 5-17 year olds are getting the 60 minutes of heart-pumping activity they need each day. And sadly, the grade for Active Transportation remains a D, with only 24% of 5-17 year olds walking/wheeling to school and 62% being driven by parents or caregivers. Our tendency to constantly watch over them or keep them indoors to ensure they are safe from risk limits their opportunities for physical activity, endangering their long-term health.” http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca/
4 ways that walking, biking or rolling can benefit kids
by Katherine Martinko
- Walking is known to improve academic performance.Children that have had some outside time in the morning arrive brighter and more alert for their first morning class.
- Walking gives children good life experience.It’s an opportunity for them to be independent, think responsibly, and make decisions for themselves. Some children feel less anxiety about being at school when they know how to get home.
- Walking gets children outdoors– and, according to Richard Louv, who wrote about Nature Deficit Disorder, kids certainly aren’t spending enough time outside these days. Find opportunities for your child to get outside and get moving too!
- Walking provides daily exercise for children.Obesity rates have skyrocketed in North America, so incorporating physical activity into a child’s daily routine is a good place to start fighting it.
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