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Walk to School Month - steps towards a healthy lifestyle

Children walking to school

Many parents will identify with the difficulty of getting children away from the TV or computer screen in order to be active outdoors.

International Walk to School Month in October encourages families to ditch the car in favour of walking to school. Whilst it may not seem like a big change, this is a great way to get children started on a more active path in life.

The UK's Department of Health guidelines are pretty straightforward: for general health, children and young people need to exercise for at least an hour each day. The good news is that the hour can be broken down into smaller chunks throughout the day. So walking to school and home again all helps.

On the right path

As well as the obvious health benefits such as stronger muscles and bones, weight control and a lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes, evidence shows that healthy children who are physically active find it easier to concentrate in the classroom, are more confident and have greater self esteem than those who are less physically active.

You don't need any particular skill to be able to enjoy walking and this makes it appealing to children who may have been discouraged from taking part in organised sports because they feel that they lack ability. Walking to school is also a great opportunity for children to recognise that outdoor activity need not be dependent on ability and that spending time outdoors is enjoyable for its own sake.

A new perspective

Schools and teachers also recognise the benefits for children of being active in the outdoors and many schools include outdoor learning in their timetable. Like walking to school, residential school trips to outdoor activity centres for schools like PGL add another layer of benefits by creating opportunities to increase children's independence, confidence and their sense of community with their peers. It can also be useful to break down barriers between students and to give them the opportunity to see themselves and each other in a different light.

Habits for life

At PGL, we love introducing children to a wide range of outdoor activities, not readily available elsewhere. This can result in a new hobby, a life-long love of an activity or even a career in the outdoors. It may be a small change to make but walking to school is a step in the right direction towards a more active lifestyle and can bring many benefits in its own right.

Find out more

If you would like to find out more about Walk to School Month, visit the Living Streets website.

Find out more about PGL's active adventure residentials for primary and secondary school groups, active families and adventurous kids.

By PGL Travel.