To make DD 4 walk home everyday from school

[Elderwand]

It's around a mile, up and down hills- takes us around 30 mins with her sort of jogging at times to keep up.

We take her in the car in the morning as have a 2yo as well so getting out for 8.15 is bit of a nightmare! Have tried this, walking to school but it is mainly up hill and I'm shattered, never mind DD

DH reckons its too far for tiny legs and she does say she's tired and why don't I pick her up in the car.

Any ideas? Or do we continue and hopefully she will get used to it.

Many thanks

Xx

[MousyMouse]

imo a mile walking is doable, even after a long day at school. but if they don't walk a lot otherwise it needs building up.

[exoticfruits]

It is fine. I did that as a child- there was no other option. You get to love the walk. She should eat and sleep well.

[Startailoforangeandgold]

Neighbours DD used to walk 3 miles to get to preschool quite often. I don't think her main carer drove and that household never seem to be able to keep a car running.

But this is very unusual. My two would have moaned they could do it, but DD2 particularly would have muttered.

[Avago]

We live in an area where we can't walk anywhere 'useful', it's just too dangerous though there is a lovely woodland walk. It's a huge regret that we moved here because if this fact.
I used to walk a mile home from nursery with my grandad when I was 2 going on 3. It was all uphill but my grandad used to hide bon bons on a high windowsill on the way down for me to find on the way home ( they were from HIS imaginary friend

[MrSunshine]

A mile is too far for a 4 year old? Fucks sake, no wonder you have a childrens obesity epidemic! A mile is nothing, its a twenty minute walk at most. My 4 year old walks 1.5 miles to school and home again, and sometimes twice when we have another to collect later.

It's not a matter of ability at all, as long as they have normal walking legs. Its a matter of laziness. Of course they will moan abit, so what?

[MrSunshine]

My 2 year old walks too, most of the way.

[Tee2072]

My son is 3.3. He has no choice but to walk as we have no car.

I walk at his pace and arrange my day accirdingly.

The more a child walks, the less tired it makes them.

[Avago]

We live in an area where we can't walk anywhere 'useful', it's just too dangerous though there is a lovely woodland walk. It's a huge regret that we moved here because if this fact.
I used to walk a mile home from nursery with my grandad when I was 2 going on 3. It was all uphill but my grandad used to hide bon bons on a high windowsill on the way down for me to find on the way home ( they were from HIS imaginary friend ). I still have memories our walks which I treasure and I've always loved to walk (which my DSs just don't get). I had to walk distances from a very early age mind, grandad used my pram to transport paving slabs across a field and unsurprisingly broke it, we couldn't aford another. ahh the 70s

[Avago]

Sorry, forgot main point I think you're doing her a massive favour and I'm jealous

[bradbourne]

Can't believe all these people saying a mile's walk is too much for a 4-year-old!
No wonder we're a nation of lard-arses.

[Rosebud05]

A buggy board isn't particularly comfortable to push with a 4 year old on it, I would say.

I was going to suggest a scooter? Or could you drive part of the way and walk some towards the end of the week, especially if it's raining? Do any of her friends walk in your direction - this helps keep morale up, I find.

A carton of juice and chocolate brioche is good for an after school sugar rush.

[neverputasockinatoaster]

I am so jealous of those of you who can walk to school with your DCs! Due to work and conflicting holiday patterns my DCs go to school in the town I work in which is a 30 min drive from home. If I wasn't working they could go to our local school and we could do lovely walking, puddle stomping etc...
Due to our reliance on the car both DD and DS look at me as if I have 2 heads when I suggest a walk. Walking is my favourite thing to do and I am so sad that they don't share my love of it.
I don't think a mile is too much for a 4 YO. Take it slowly, do the games people have suggested, have fun, provide a snack and drink at the school gate or even part way home! Full on water proofs for bad weather.
Roll on that lottery win so i can give up work........

[squeakytoy]

"Can't believe all these people saying a mile's walk is too much for a 4-year-old!
No wonder we're a nation of lard-arses"

Same thought here!... I grew up in the 70's and do not remember one single child going to school in a car. None of the mothers drove to school, we all walked and it was about a mile. We walked there and back, every day, and then went to play out afterwards running around for another couple of hours!

[freddiefrog]

We live nearer to school now, but for the 1st couple of years, DD1 walked at least a mile to school and back every day and was fine

We got her a scooter and was quite happy to whizz along while I did an impression of a pack mule

[LucieMay]

We live a mile from school and it's alwa taken up 20 mins. Ds managed fine in perception.

[slartybartfast]

30 minutes walk home from school is perfectly fine imo. and a good way to have a chat on the way home, getting home feeling refreshed.

[Viviennemary]

I think it's far too long a walk for a four year old every single day. Don't have any solutions though. Poor little child having to jog along to keep up.

[slartybartfast]

puddle fishing?

and do other parents do it? where i live there was quite a community of parents walking, mainly fairweather, but some carless people who did it - twice a day - or more.

[procrastinor]

It's a mile. Not a trek across the Sahara. Now I know I shouldn't post this but I did some voluntary work abroad a few years back. Whilst I was huffing and puffing my way up the hills around the village I was followed by a gaggle of children who were all three and under carrying shed loads literally running rings round me. I was embarrassed. Now whenever I think oh my ds couldn't possibly do that I think of those kids. I even bit the bullet and took ds on a guided 1 mile walk and he managed fine. As someone said before its all learnt behaviour.

[poachedeggs]

A mile isn't far. A balance bike would be ideal if tiredness is a genuine problem

I've heard teachers say that DC who walk to school are easier to teach - ready to sit still and concentrate. It makes sense to me.

[MsElisaDay]

I honestly can't believe some people think a mile is too far for a four-year-old to walk. As kids we never had a car and walked everywhere - the question as to whether a half-hour walk was too far would never have even been raised. Judging by some of the responses on this thread, it's no wonder childhood obesity is on the rise.

As an aside, a good friend of mine is a primary school teacher, and took her class of Year 5s on a school trip last week to the town museum, about a mile's walk from the school. Perhaps even slightly less than a mile, but it's a fairly hilly route.
Apparently the vast majority of kids had thought she was joking when she told them the day before that they'd be walking there and back, so hadn't bothered to bring sensible shoes or coats with a hood.
We were gobsmacked to discover that children are growing up thinking that a half-hour walk is some sort of hike. And I was even more gobsmacked to hear, afterwards, of the number of kids that cried on said half-hour walk, saying their legs hurt and they'd "never walked so far" before.
I find it really worrying, tbh.

[TheTermagantToaster]

My DS, who is nearly two, could walk a mile in reasonable time IF he didn't insist on stopping every two paces to pick up another stick/swish some gravel/poke a hedge/run his hand along a brick wall. We're not the only ones, surely?

[shuffleballchange]

It's good for her, we don't have a car so are used to walking everywhere, Ds1 has walked long distances since tiny, its what legs are for! It's a nice time to chat too. Ds2 is still in a pushchair but as soon as he is big enough he will walk too.

[Anonymumous]

Fuckadoodlepoopoo, I can assure you that my four-year-old could give the world's slowest tortoise a run for his money. Not only is it very difficult for adult-sized legs to go that slowly, but also the more I slow down, the more he slows down too! Walking a little way ahead and then waiting for him encourages him to get a move on. Not so much selfish as necessary, I'm afraid.

Still think you are being terribly over-protective about the walking a mile thing as well. A mile is nothing for a healthy four year old. And if it is too much, then they could probably do with the exercise.

[PanicMode]

Haven't read the rest of the thread - am sure there are lots of people saying it's too far - but my 2 year old walks more or less a mile every day (with stretches in the buggy when he's tired). All four of my children walk to and from school - I think it's really good for them, gets them some exercise and helps to build physical strength and stamina - plus gives us all time to talk and chat about the upcoming day, or what they've done. When it rains, the road is gridlocked with parents in their cars so it actually takes less time to put waterproofs on and walk.

My four year old does tennis and swimming after school during the week - I am amazed at how many mothers don't allow their Reception children to do anything after school 'because they're so tired', and drive them to and from a school you are supposed to have to live within 0.25 of a mile of to be able to get in....but my children have always done lots of activities, are happy, healthy and have lots of energy.