A long time ago, our parents used to study in a school that’s nearest to their house. Today, city life forces us to ride cars, school buses and public transportation to reach the school our kids go to. Not that it’s too far but crime has gone up considerably since and the penchant of parents to think of their children’s safety is paramount to providing them food, shelter and education.
CBC News recently wrote that researchers in Canada decided to analyze the characteristics of youngsters making their way to school under their own steam, described as “active transportation” — as opposed to getting a ride or taking a bus — to see what patterns emerged. Their study showed that children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, those with a single parent and those with an older sibling were more likely to fall into this category, they discovered. It also says that active transportation peaks at ages 10 to 11, and then declines after that. However, only 35 percent of that age category use active transportation.
Though schools have physical education classes every week, it isn’t much to garner for the amount of bodily activity they need. The thought that comes into mind is for parents to find creative means of allowing their kids to do active transportation on a routine basis. One could be dropping them off at their classmate’s house which is a few hundred meters away from school; pick them up at the restaurant or mall nearest to their school.
If you don’t live in a gated subdivision, find a way to create a routine where the daily activity of walking becomes a norm. The study also revealed that children who used active transportation over the course of three years had fewer weight issues, and consistently had a lower body mass index growth curve. One idea is to park your car near your kids school and walk with them. This way, you, too, get the much needed exercise.
Source: CBC News
Photo by zinkwazi at Flickr.com
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Photo by Candy_Kirby at Flickr.com
