5 ways to make the walk to school more fun

Whether you walk to school with your kids every day, or you choose to just try it this week, it’s always a great start to a child’s day. Activity in the morning will even get them ready to learn. In fact, kids who do physical activity during the day will actually do better academically than kids who don’t.

But if you happen to have any reluctant walkers, here are 5 ways to make walking to school even more fun:

1. Choose a different route

If you always walk one way to school, try going in a different direction. Even if it means you have to go farther than usual, there’s something fun and exciting about seeing new things on a morning walk.

2. Play I Spy

Sometimes we’re moving so fast, we don’t take time to look at our surroundings. Kids are great observers, but they aren’t always the quickest at getting from point A to point B. A few rounds of I Spy will have them at school in a flash.

3. Walk like animals

Little dawdlers will love pretending to be their favourite animals for the walk to school. From galloping like horses to squawking and flapping like chickens, this make-believe walking activity will make the trip to school as simple as herding sheep.

4. Collect samples of nature

Decide before heading out what today’s goal will be. Leaves? Rocks? Sticks? Then pick it up as you go.

5. Clean up your neighbourhood

Why not bring some empty garbage bags and a few pairs of gloves and tidy the sidewalk along the way? Kids will love knowing they’ve made an impact and neighbours will love not having wayward flyers blowing across the front lawn.

The greatest reasons to walk to school are these: it’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s ridiculously good for our kids. So here’s to a day, a week, a month of walking to school. And if we find ways to make it extra awesome, maybe it will even last all year.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Oct. 8, 2014.