Students and parents from local schools will be joining community leaders and schools from around the nation and the world to celebrate Walk to School Day on Oct. 3.

Held on the first Wednesday of every October, Walk to School Day is an internationally recognized day to celebrate the benefits of walking by encouraging schoolchildren to walk and bicycle to school. In Roswell, both Sweet Apple Elementary and Mimosa Elementary are expected to take part.

Benefits for children

1. Fitness and health

Most of us are very aware that childhood obesity is rising fast – in 2008, 31 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 15 were overweight or obese. As you’ll read in Walking for Health, children need at least an hour of physical activity per day, and walking to school is a great way to get some of that exercise.

There are also concerns about the level of pollution that children are exposed to sitting inside cars in congested or slow moving traffic. When planning your walking journey to school, it may well be possible to find a route which is quiet or traffic-free, and walking through green spaces such as parks can make you feel calmer and happier.

2. Concentration at school

Evidence shows that children who are physically active on the way to school burn off some of their excess energy, and are more able to settle down and focus well in lessons.

3. Road safety skills

Good habits learned young are learned well. Teaching your child to walk safely to school will stand them in good stead for the rest of their life.

4. Socialising and independence

If your child joins a walking bus, or is old enough to walk to school with friends, they will have extra time in the day to build friendships, and feel comfortable around other people. And most teenagers, like all of us, need time to themselves – walking home can be a great time to think, relax, and mull over their day.

Check out this link, this link and this link for more information on the benefits of walking to school.