Develop a routine that suits your family
- What do we currently do?
Record your current travel habits for the school week. Include any destinations you reach before or after school drop off and pick up, as well as the mode of travel (walking, riding, driving). If more than one adult in your household shares responsibility for school journeys make sure you include their travel habits too. - Talk together
Discuss the reasons for your current routine - ‘Why do we travel this way? ‘What other ways could we use to get to and from school? What are the good and not so good things about each of them? - Review your current travel routine
Look for opportunities and ideas of things your family can do to make it possible to walk, ride or scoot for at least some of the way (start in manageable steps and then grow it).
- Map your journey
Use Google maps or the Cycle Instead Journey Planner to come up with a suitable route. Make use of quiet local streets and pedestrian crossings where possible. The safest route may not be the fastest but it will assist your child to focus their attention on learning safe travel behaviours.
Print a copy and highlight the route. Trial the route together and talk out loud about what you are doing/looking to stay safe. - Traffic safety rules and knowledge
What do we need to know or do to stay safe when walking, riding or scooting to or from school? How could we find out? e.g. use STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, THINK, ACT before crossing the road. - Who could help?
e.g. extended family, family friends, school friends. Discuss what to do if the routine for the day needs to change or an emergency occurs. You may consider including a picture and name of contact details of those that may assist in your child's backpack. It is a good precaution for any occasion.
This work is licensed under a CreativeCommons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence