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There’s plenty of excuses available but it’s worth encouraging kids to choose active travel to school.
That’s according to CQUniversity physical activity researcher Stephanie Schoeppe who has provided her Top 5 tips on the benefits of active travel to school in conjunction with National Ride to School Day.
Ms Schoeppe said parents are rightly concerned about busy traffic, a lack of foot/cycling pathways and stranger danger but it is worth trying to overcome these barriers and support children’s walking/cycling to school where possible because active travel to school:
– helps children achieve the recommended daily dose of 60 minutes of physical activity
– contributes to overall physical activity which is vital for children’s bone health, motor skills, physical fitness and healthy weight
– promotes an active lifestyle; instilling active lifestyles in young children is important as physical activity behaviours tend to track from childhood to adolescence and adulthood.
– helps children develop traffic safety skills for navigating in public spaces
– provides children opportunities for social interaction with peers.
(Source: CQUniversity)
