Learn about a week promoting the benefits of being active by encouraging pupils to ‘walk, wheel, cycle or scoot to school’!
This week (19th – 23rd May) is The Living Streets’ Walk to School Week which encourages children and young people to travel to school in a more active way, whether it’s on foot or on wheels. The Living Streets is a UK charity with a mission to ‘achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk more.’ 1 Its Walk to School week is annual campaign that forms part of that ongoing mission.
Walk to School Week is intended to promote the benefits of travelling this way, including:
- sustainability – reduced carbon emissions by not travelling by car/bus etc.
- exercise – incorporating more movement into the day is a win for physical health
- mental health – movement and being outdoors can boost your mood and have a positive impact on wellbeing
- road safety – an opportunity to revise and put into practice road safety rules (plus, hopefully there will be fewer cars on the road, improving pedestrian safety around schools too)
- community – children and young people can spend time talking to friends en route and taking notice of what’s in their community. 2
These benefits form the activities in the Living Streets ‘The Great Space Walk’ theme. But you don’t have to purchase the Living Streets activity packs to take part. All you need to do to get involved is walk, wheel, skate, scoot or cycle your way to school. Schools could also talk to pupils about their experience during the week and the benefits of incorporating more movement into their daily routines.
Resources
Here are some resources you could explore during Walk to School Week:
Are you taking part in Walk to School Week?
Let us know how you’re getting involved on social media.
