Greener Future For Our Kids - Benefits of Cycling to School
Mar 03, 2023
iCrowdMarketing powered by iCrowdNewswire
News about floods, earthquakes, extreme temperatures, and fires leave no one indifferent, but most of us feel we have limited or no power to prevent these events. However, every effort matters.
Such a mindset is critical because:
We Have Not Inherited This Earth From Our Forefathers; We Have Borrowed It From Our Children - Lester Brown
Climate change is not yet another clickbait; it's our reality, and if we don't take any action, it will irreversibly harm our kids' future.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, David Boyd, warns, "Children and youth are the most impacted by today's global environmental crisis and are the most threatened by our current trajectory."
Unfortunately, we can't undo everything terrible that has already been done, but it's still not too late to provide a greener future for our kids and teach them to do the same.
We can start with cycling to school.
Benefits of Cycling to School
Aside from positively affecting the environment, biking to school provides additional benefits:
It Adds to Your Kids' Well-Being
Physical activity positively affects our physical and mental health.
According to the Second Edition of Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, youth ages 6 through 17 should exercise for about 60 minutes daily. Cycling to and from school is ideal for kids to follow this recommendation.
In addition, regular physical activity adds to kids' cognitive activity, the report suggests. So cycling will help them improve their fitness and be more concentrated and successful at schoolwork.
It Helps Them Make New Friends
As your children get older, they should be able to cycle to school without you cycling behind them. It may be stressful, but if you went through proper training and showed them safe routes, your job as a parent trainer is done.
Your kid is probably one of many kids in the neighborhood that bikes to school, and that's another thing about this activity. It allows kids to meet other kids with the same interests. Although cycling is a recreational activity for most of us, it can quickly become a passion, so having someone to share it with is even better.
So finding a bike mate at an early age adds to kids' communication skills; it breaks the barriers of approaching people, starting a conversation, and, why not, building lifelong friendships.
It Boosts Their Confidence
It adds to kids' maturity for several reasons. First, you encourage them to take control as they must get to school alone. It doesn't affect if you are cycling behind them in the beginning.
Also, they get a sense of how much time they need to get to school on time. Cycling to school is like an introductory lesson to good time management.
When they learn how to get to the schools independently, they'll feel more confident, positively affecting their engagement in class and socialization with other kids.
It's a Path to a Clean Environment
We often hear how the most successful managers lead by example. The same can be in your household.
Of course, the relationships differ at their core, but as a parent, similar to a manager, guide and teach your kids how to do something and the outcome you should all aim for.
Here, the outcome can be to take care of the environment. One way to achieve it is to avoid the car commute. Instead, you can introduce cycling.
Yes, it's a busy world, and juggling personal and professional tasks is often challenging. However, if we want a safer—ergo—greener future for our kids, we must contribute.
One statistic says that 1 out of 4 cars drops kids at school during rush hour. Therefore, cycling to and from school minimizes car emissions, leading to better-quality air.
Also, when we spend less time in the car, we avoid road rage. So, less time in the vehicle equals less stress throughout the day.
Finally, cycling is a cost-effective alternative, as spending more time out of the car decreases fuel and maintenance expenses.
The best time to encourage your kids to bike to school is now. However, many organizations focus on promoting this activity; This year's Bike & Roll to School Day is May 3, 2023. So save the date, but remember, every day is a great day to cycle toward a greener future.