Physical Activity at School - Encouraging Physical Activity

Walk to School

Promote and support your child’s participation in active transportation modes such walking or cycling. Walking to and from school offers a great opportunity to achieve the desired physical activity goals for children and youth.

Peel Safe and Active Routes to School (PSARTS) supports the implementation of walking to school programs in Peel schools. Supportive resources are available and can be integrated with the health, safety, physical education and environmental curriculum.

Resources:

• Walk to School Start-up Kit (241 KB, 19 pages)
  
  
• A two-part motivational video about the benefits of active travel to school:

  Student Edition
  Stepping It Up: Kids Say Walking to School Is Healthy, Fun and Good for the Environment
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r59_rzKuAMA

  School Travel Planning Edition
  Stepping It Up: How to Get Active on the Trip to School Through School Travel Planning
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XUyslpUCb4
  
  (A two-part motivational video)

• A Teacher’s Guide – a tool designed for teachers, to extend students’ learning from the Student Edition video with five activities linked to the most recent Ontario curriculum guidelines
  http://tiny.cc/SIUTeachersGuide

Other Walk to School Ideas

Walking As a Class

Join up with another teacher and take both classes out together. When you’re walking as a group, remember to:

• Warm up and cool down before and after walking to avoid soreness
• Apply sunscreen no matter the season
• Drink lots of water

Keep Kids Motivated

• Create a class or grade competition to see which group walks the most
• Track the distance or time walked as part of math class
• Walk across Canada as part of a geography class
• Praise all of your students for their achievements
• Starting a friendly walking competition with another school in your area to see which school walks the most
• Have a poster contest. Ask your students to design posters that promote walking to school or simply walking in general
• Setting small incentives for events that promote physical activity and healthy eating such as pedometers, hackey sacks or class trips to the park

Safety Reminders for Students

Whether walking to school on their own or as part of a program at school, remind kids to:

• Look both ways before crossing the street
• Be aware of what's going on around them
• Walk with friends, never alone