Overview

International Walk to School Day is held each year in October. It’s a great chance to get your school psyched about physical activity. While it’s only September, take time now to think about how your school will celebrate.

10 Ways to Celebrate Walk to School Day

1. Showcase your School Spirit – Wear your favorite school colors/gear and belt out your school song while walking to school.
2. Clean up the Streets – Consider dedicating the day for cleaning up litter along the route to school.
3. Nature Scavenger Hunt – Come up with a short list of items for students to spot during their morning or afternoon walking commute. Ask students to take photos of items they see. Ask local businesses to donate prizes like bike helmets, backpacks or water bottles for students that participate.
4. Classroom Competition – Provide students with pedometers or a step-counting app to measure the distance traveled during walking commutes. Award healthy prizes to classrooms that have the most participants, most walking commutes and/or the most distance walked.
5. Walking Story – Copy the pictures and text from a short, easy-to-read story and enlarge them on posters (consider laminating in case of rain). At each stop along a designated walking route, ask participating students to read part of the story aloud. By the last stop, students will have read a book on their way to school. It promotes literacy & physical activity – a WIN-WIN!
6. Show Off a Special Family Member – Ask students to invite a special person to walk with them. Consider offering a healthy breakfast or snacks after the walk to incentive participation.
7. Celeb Walks – Ask a local celebrity – the principal, a teacher, a police officer, a firefighter, a local news anchor, a professional sports athlete – to walk with students during the morning or afternoon commute.
8. Walking School Bus – Ask a staff member, parent or other volunteer to be a walking school “bus driver” for the morning commute. Pick a designated “bus” stop and ask students to meet at a specific time to take the walking school bus to school.
9. Rock Around the Block – Purchase a few boom boxes from a thrift store and provide them to older student leaders to carry on their shoulders while students “rock around the block” during designated times during the day. Make it even more fun by encouraging students to dress up in 80s/90s gear.
10. Make it More than a Day – Start a walking club before or after school. Work with students to track their miles and offer incentives for major mileage accomplishments.