National Walk Safely to School Day: Educating your students

The 22nd of May is the official “National Walk Safely to School Day”, a day dedicated to educating students and parents on the benefits of walking as well as the fundamentals of road safety. Walking to school is a great way to start the day, not only do you get in exercise and increase your step count, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to get fresh air whilst reducing traffic congestion in your area. We understand that for some, walking to school isn’t an option and public transport or getting a lift is the only way. However, you will have students in school who have the capacity to walk to school, so it’s time to educate them on the benefits!

Teach them about the history of the National Day

“The first Walk Safely to School Day took place in 1999 in New South Wales. This event continues each year to promote the teaching of road safety to children. However, the event soon snowballed and gained traction. The importance of teaching road safety to children was highlighted, and only five years later, in 2004, the day became a national event.” [twinkl]

Talk about the fundamentals of road safety

National Walk Safely to School Day isn’t just about walking, it’s also an excellent opportunity to teach students about the fundamentals of road safety. How to read traffic lights, when you should and shouldn’t cross, and look out for your friends when walking to school are all important lessons to teach.

Some resources you can use are as follows:

• Road safety scene and question cards
• Road safety bingo
• Keeping Myself Safe When Cycling Safety Worksheet (for children who don’t just walk, but instead bike to school)

On top of this, you can also create your own set of questions based on the age range of your students as well as their most common method of transport. Also, consider the location that the school is in and the typical ‘danger zones’ that your students may be passing through. Don’t just focus on using general quizzes, a personalised approach is best! 

What are the benefits of walking?

This national day is also about the benefits of walking and how it can be beneficial for your physical and mental health. This is a great opportunity to set a challenge for your class to hit a certain amount of step count within a week. Equally, you can get students to set individual step-count goals for themselves so they have something to work towards. Encourage students to pick a realistic amount (3,000-5,000 is equivalent to around 30 minutes of walking) and get them to track their progress as well as how they feel at the end of each walk. This will not just evidence to them the positive physical effects of walking, but also how mentally it can be really good for you.

If you have students who do not walk to school, encourage them to walk with family or friends in parks or even in the local town to get their step count up. 

How can students incorporate walking into their day-to-day life? 

Finally, make sure that you leave students with a lasting impression of just how positive walking is! Especially for students who don’t have the capacity to walk to school, give them ideas on how they can increase the amount of walking they do on a day-to-day basis, for example:

• Walking one extra bus stop to increase their step count
• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator/lift
• Walking to the shops with their family instead of taking the car
• Walking as a form of socialising
• If they don’t like walking, try biking or rollerblading

We hope you have a wonderful ‘National Walk Safely to School Day” and that you’ve felt inspired by these ideas!