Is there a way to burn less gas and more calories while teaching our children about road safety and the community? Join hundreds of thousands of students, parents and community leaders across the world on Wednesday, October 12 for International Walk and Roll to School Day!

International Walk and Roll to School Day is an annual event, held on the first or second Wednesday of October since 1997 and has been breaking records for participation each year in more than 40 countries. Last year over 2,800 schools participated within the U.S. alone! The event was first introduced in the U.S. by the National Center for Safe Routes to School to shine a light on the importance of walkable communities. Since then, many event coordinators have reported seeing a change in policy or pedestrian infrastructure to encourage walking after conducting Walk and Roll to School Day events.

Walk and Roll to School Day benefits students by building community and connectivity, teaching proper traffic safety rules, and by having students learn safe routes to school. The event also introduces concepts of environmental conservation and health consciousness at a young age in a fun and interactive way.

With Walk and Roll to School Day taking place near the beginning of the school year, it can encourage healthy walking habits for the rest of the year. Walking to school itself can ingrain a healthy lifestyle and routine for years to come as walking is shown to be just as good as jogging with less strain or difficulty. Walk and Roll to School Day also helps parents by decreasing traffic and helping them save on gasoline in a time where prices have been surging.

To participate, check with your local school for site-specific meet-up locations and make sure your child has lots of water if it’s hot out. One way to get involved is to share your experiences and promote the day so that more communities get the opportunity to take part. Be sure to use the hashtag #WalktoSchoolDay when posting pictures on social media!

Here in the Beach Cities, Beach Cities Health District's similar programs, Walking Wednesdays and Walking School Bus are currently on hold for the time being due to the COVID-19 pandemic.