[button color=”success” link=”http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/registration/” size=”default” target=”_self” block=”false”]Is your school celebrating Walk and Bike to School Month? Register here![/button]
Did you know October is Walk and Bike to School Month? Students, parents, schools, and community partners across the country will celebrate and promote the benefits of walking to school. How will your school participate? The beginning of the school year is a perfect time to start planning an event and gathering support.
Walking to school is a healthy habit that benefits the whole community, but it has become less common over the past decades. In 2009, only 13% of school-aged kids usually walked or biked to school, compared to 48% in 1969. Parents most commonly cited distance, safety, and weather as the barriers preventing their children from walking or biking to school. Walk to School Month is an opportunity to take stock of these barriers and promote the benefits of walking and biking.
Walk and bike to school events not only emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity and encouraging healthy lifestyles among children, but also address bicycle and pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, and concern for the environment. In addition, students who are physically active on the way to school arrive ready to learn and perform better in class. Walk and bike to school efforts also build connections between families, schools and the community, and encourage independence in children. The benefits of walking and bicycling to school are abundantly clear!
We can help you with a walk/bike to school event!!
If this is your school’s first time planning a walk or bike event, a Safe Routes to School Regional Coordinator can help you get started. Our website also provides resources on:
- Overview of Walk to School month
- Examples of events
- How to plan an event
- How to launch a Safe Routes to School program in your community
Also, check out walkbiketoschool.org to register your event and find more helpful tips and promotional material like flyers and press releases. Registering your event helps to demonstrate the demand for walk and bike programs and ensure their continuation.
Over 2,000 schools across the country are already registered to participate. So how will your school join in? Walking school bus, temporary bike lane, walk to school parade? No matter what route you choose, walk and bike to school events are fun, build school spirit, and encourage healthy habits.