National Walk Safely to School Day: kids urged to get moving on Friday

PRIMARY school kids all over Australia will need to wake up a bit earlier on Friday – it’s National Walk Safely to School Day.

May 20 marks the 17th edition of the community initiative, designed to promote safe pedestrian behaviour and the health benefits of regular walking at an early age.

But parents will have to get in on the act too – with the campaign asking that children under 10 hold the hand of an adult while crossing the road.

Professor Adrian Bauman, head of epidemiology at Sydney University, said there is strong evidence that children who are physically active perform better academically.

“The findings are clear – active kids are smarter kids, who are getting improved results academically, and who are paying better attention in class,” Professor Bauman said.

“Active commuting to school, such as walking to school, is likely to improve cognitive and academic benefits to those children who undertake it regularly.”