How to tackle the school run on a bike

It’s that time of year again and we’re preparing to buy new uniforms, pencil cases and exciting things like PE kit and booking after school clubs…

Do you have a ‘new term - new start’ attitude for the new school term? Did you know that fresh air and exercise before school improves your child’s capacity for learning?

• “Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, cognitive performance (e.g., memory), and classroom behaviours (e.g., on-task behaviour)
• Higher physical activity and physical fitness levels are associated with improved cognitive performance (e.g., concentration, memory) among students.” Healthy Schools

Encourage cycling to school

So, a good tactic for encouraging active travel to school is to start as young as possible. That means you need to be an active traveller too! Getting your child involved in the journey, interested in their surroundings and noticing passing landmarks or curiosities is a great way to pass the time. They’ll be at school before they notice!

Bike Radar spoke to lots of parents with kids of varying ages to get their ideas on how to tackle the school run on a bike. Here’s the top list:

• Weather appropriate clothing - this means thinking ahead to the end of the afternoon too and maybe packing a raincoat for the trip home
• Cycling games - Pokemon Go, role playing in different characters, riding on dragons and racing to school to save the day…
• Pick your route carefully - Sometimes shorter isn’t better. If the route risks noisy traffic passing close by, it might be better to leave a little earlier and take the scenic route. Riding with the kids in front helps them become familiar with the route
• Don’t worry about being late - OK, so being late isn’t ideal, but arriving on time having annoyed the kids and falling out is possibly worse! And you still have to ride home again…
• Use good cycling accessories - We’ve talked about good bike helmets for kids before, you already know about protecting against the sun and rain, and obviously you know where to get great bike seats! Some parents in the Bike Radar chat liked tandem bikes, double child seats and tow-alongs too. Whatever makes the journey more comfortable and safer is highly recommended.

Are you ready for the school run?

The new term can be daunting, what with organising wrap-around care, packed lunches and after-school clubs, we get it. It can be really tempting just to jump in the car and get the drop-off done. If that sounds like you, can you maybe swap one day to a bike run?

Good luck with the back to school hecticness. We’re with you on this one!

For more advice on cycling with kids, check out our blog: Feva Star Seat News