We know families lead increasingly busy lives, and it’s no easy feat to get all your family members dressed, fed, and out the door and on time for school and work in the morning. This can result in children being driven by their parents instead of them walking or wheeling to school or the bus stop.
Our goal is to provide families with useful resources that will help integrate walking/wheeling to school (or the bus stop) into the morning routine. The tremendous benefits of walking/wheeling vs. driving to school are undeniable.
Only 35% of Canadian children achieve the daily recommended amount of physical activity1
- Activity and exercise have been shown to result in higher academic performance1
- Physical activity improves focus and concentration1 and self-confidence and positive emotions2
- Children who exercise experience reduced stress, depression and anxiety2
- Walking to school exposes youth to lower concentrations of air pollutants than driving3
- This lack of activity can be linked to adverse effects such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes1
Resources
- Check out our Active School Travel Activity & Events Calendar to see what active events are happening across Halton.
- Our Walk & Roll Travel Time Map estimates how long it will take you to walk or bike to school!
- The Active Travel Trip Counter App allows you to submit the distance your child actively travel to and from school, helping your school rise to the top of the active school travel list!
- Ask your child’s teacher to start a Kilometre Club at their school!
- Learn about the School Crossing Guards in your community
- Review Ontario Active School Travel’s 5 Steps to Active Travel Success
- Find out what a School Travel Plan is and how to implement one in your community.
SOURCES
1 ParticipACTION, 2018; Tremblay & Willms, 2003; Janssen & Leblanc, 2010; Warburton et al., 2006
2 Lambiase et al., 2010; Ramanathan et al., 2014, Iancovich, 2015; ParticipACTION, 2018
3 ScienceDirect Examining children’s exposure to air pollution during the school commute, 2018