Test Out a Route and Get More Comfortable
with Your Kids Walking to School
During this time, while your children are out of school, it is important to keep them active and safe. Additionally, this can be a time to establish new norms with your children to help them understand how to walk safely to school and potentially give yourself some peace of mind that walking to school is more possible than you may think.
Think about a logical and safe route to the school. Walk the route to school with your children as a break from being inside the house. Bring along a notebook and write down some observations about the route and its surroundings. Ask you children for their thoughts on their experiences.
Here are some things you can do and consider during the walk:
- Map out your route. If you know, mark down where crossing guards are located.
- Along the way, mark down safety measures your children should look out for such as stop signs, marked crosswalks and traffic lights. Are some of these elements missing? Make note of them. Your town may appreciate you bringing it to their attention.
- Teach your children that they must cross the street where a crossing guard is present. In locations without a crossing guard, children must always cross at an intersection where there is a crosswalk.
- Not all crosswalks are marked. A crosswalk exists between two corners on opposite sides of the street even when there is one not painted. This is called an “unmarked crosswalk” and they are very common on neighborhood streets.