Are they ready to walk to school without you?

By Stacie Gaetz

Now that your kiddo has been going to school for a few weeks, you are probably getting into a routine for drop-off and pick-up.

However, they may also be noticing that other families do it differently. They may wonder why their friends are allowed to walk home alone and they aren’t.

How do you know when your child is old enough and responsible enough to “take the walk” by themselves or with a friend?

Walking is wonderful

Of course, your biggest concern when your child wants to start walking to and from school by themselves is their safety (more on that later in the story) but their desire to walk can be a good thing.

According to Active Healthy Kids Canada, 58 percent of parents walked to school when they were young, while only 28 percent of their children do today. 

The desire to get out of the car and start moving their feet is a positive step in the right direction. Walking with friends may encourage them to be even more active as we all know their walk will be less direct when they are with their friends and may include a few short detours.

Biking and scootering are also great ways to get to school and boost their activity level, as well as get there a bit faster and with a bit less dawdling than walking allows for.

What to consider

Two of the main things to consider when deciding whether it is time to let them “go it alone” is the distance and conditions of their walk to school and their maturity level.

How far is the walk? Is there a paved sidewalk the entire way? Is it entirely in a neighborhood where you feel they are safe, and people look out for each other? Is it well lit (for those dark early mornings)? Is there proper crosswalks and traffic lights? Do they need to cross any busy roads?

Consider your child’s ability to follow direction, penchant for testing the boundaries and how sensible they are. All kids have lapses in judgement but does your child normally follow the rules or try to break them?

It is also important to consider the maturity level of any friends they may be walking with. Are any of their friends that live close by giving you the “bad crowd” vibe? Trust your instincts on this one as it is better to be safe than sorry.

Safety first

The largest safety concern when children walk to school is cars. You can’t control how other people drive in your neighborhood, but you can prepare your child and teach them the necessary safety precautions to keep them as safe as possible.

Make sure your child recognizes and obeys all traffic signals, pavement markings and crossing guards. Go on a number of family walks in your neighborhood and let them prove that they can cross the street safely without you.

Make sure they know which routes to travel and not to stray from them. Tell them any family rules about stopping to play at playground or what time they should be home and then give them a watch or device that they can tell time on.

Be clear about what the consequences will be if they break any of the rules you have agreed on and stick to them.

Stranger danger

Ensure your child is stranger aware and knows what to do if they encounter someone who makes them feel uncomfortable.

Let them know that they can go to a teacher, police officer, nearby shop or restaurant, parent with small children or another trusted adult.

Depending on their age, you may also want to get them a cell phone and teach them how to get a hold of you and when to call 9-1-1. If you don’t feel your child is ready for a smart phone, there are a number of “kids’” phones that can have only a few numbers programmed in them that might be a viable option for your family.

If you don’t think you are quite ready to let your child walk to and from school by themselves but would like them to have a bit more autonomy, there are some alternatives. You could trade back and forth with another family (or more than one) and take turns picking up the kids.

This way they can spend some extra times with their friends, and you get a break once in a while.

It comes down to this – you know your child and your neighborhood best. Take all of these factors into consideration and make a decision based on the level of comfort of your family.