How our children get to school can be a hot topic for discussion. Many of us grumble about the traffic load during the “school run” hours and residents living near schools can find their streets bursting with traffic and noise at the beginning and end of the school day. But there are bigger reasons to walk our children to school. Here are just some of them from our Stoke on Trent chiropractor:

1. Health and Fitness

Childhood obesity is rising fast! Children need at least an hour of physical activity per day, and walking to school is the perfect way to get some of that exercise.

There are also concerns about the level of pollution that children are exposed to while sitting inside cars in congested traffic. When planning your walking journey to school, it may be a good idea to find a traffic-free route, such as a park or open green spaces.

2. Concentration

Children who are physically active on the way to school are more likely to burn off some of their excess energy. As a result, they may be more able to settle down and focus better during lessons.

3. Road Safety Skills

The earlier your child learns good road safety habits, the better. Teaching your child to walk safely to and from school will stand them in good stead for the rest of their life.

4. Socialising and Independence

If your child is old enough to walk to school with friends, they will have extra time in the day to build friendships. If your child is younger, meeting other parents and children to walk to school is a good way to help build their social skills. You may even meet new friends, too!

So there are huge benefits to walking to school, but of course, many people have complicated lives, with children at different schools, jobs to get to, and other daily tasks to complete. While it may be unrealistic to expect all parents of school children to simply switch from driving to walking every day, little changes can go a long way.