HOCKING students will make an extra effort to walk to school this Friday.
St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary School principal Carmel O’Shaughnessy said they hoped to get all 90 students involved in Walk Safely to School Day on May 19.
“It’s a real way of children knowing that walking is healthy,” she said.
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READ NOW“Walking along the footpath with mum or dad is also exercise.”
Pedestrian Council chief executive officer Harold Scruby said it was vital for children to be active every day as more than 25 per cent of Australian children were overweight or obese.
“With these health statistics rapidly heading towards 30 per cent, we need to educate children on how to form positive exercise habits early in life,” he said.
“The best way to achieve this is to encourage parents to introduce simple ways to get their children moving, such as walking to and from school, so these habits become part of their daily routine.”
Mr Scruby encouraged parents who drove into school to park 15 minutes away so they could share the countless health and safety benefits with their children.
“By walking with your child from your car to school, you’re teaching them safe road skills, you’ll have extra bonding time with them, you’re not getting stuck in a traffic jam, and you’ll be getting exercise yourself,” he said.
For more details, visit www.walk.com.au.
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