Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

How far do you walk to/from school...?

7 replies

misspollysdolly · 31/08/2012 15:32

We live in a city and - through our own choice - school is 2 miles (according to Google) away across the centre of town. DS1 is in Year 3 as of next week (he's 7) and DS2 is about to start in reception (he's 4). So far I have been taking the car to do the school run, but a combination of needing to car share with DH a bit and wanting a bit more exercise for myself I am now considering whether to walk the school run and back a couple of times a week - will be fine for me as I will now just have DD in the pushchair and no toddler dawdling/whinging/etc. However, I hate getting the bus from the centre of town - the buses are late and usually overcrowded and expensive for the relatively short journey it will be (£4ish for DS1 and me), then the drivers drive too fast and there is not always room for the buggy.

What I am asking really is, is a two mile walk/scoot home too long after a day at school for the boys...? How far do you walk to/from school on a regular basis? How far is too far? Thanks! MPD

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

NCForNow · 31/08/2012 19:22

We ride bikes about 2 miles....DD is 8 though and that's fine for her but DD2 is starting and that might be hard now... It's up rural lanes and would be shorter but we'd have to go alongside a dual carriageway...I would walk it if we could...but I don't think it's ok with a 4 year old in the winter which is what I have. My 4 year old wouldn't manage it.

Tee2072 · 31/08/2012 19:37

My 3 year old is starting at a preschool that is about 1.5 miles away in 3 weeks. We don't own a car, and there is no bus in that direction, so we will be walking. If I think he's having problems, I'll put him in his pushchair, although that then restricts what I can do after I drop him off as there's no place to leave it.

headfairy · 31/08/2012 19:41

ds has been walking to his nursery for 2 years and will continue to walk to the same place when he starts reception next week (nursery and school are on the same site), it's 1.3 miles each way. Admittedly when we first started (he was just three then) he sometimes jumped in the back of the Phil and Ted's, but certainly for the past year he's been happy to do it every day. Our nanny doesn't drive so he has to do it with her on the days she's there. On my days off I really only get the car out if it's chucking it down.

nextphase · 31/08/2012 19:47

DS1 walked to and from nursery from about 2.5. Its just over a mile.
He will happily cycle on his balance bike for 3 miles or so.

Its 8 miles of walking for you (2 there, 2 back for drop off, and the same coming back), 4 miles for the kids. I'd consider a bike for the oldest 2.

Tgger · 01/09/2012 21:45

I would say it would be no problem at all for the 7 year old and might be a bit far for the 4 year old, depending on what his energy levels are like/how far he is used to walking. It's quite a long way after a day at school for that age. If he's good on his scooter then it might be fine, but generally at that age I wouldn't want to do more than a mile.

Tgger · 01/09/2012 21:46

at that time of day after school

Fuzzymum1 · 01/09/2012 23:25

I have a friend who has three children 5 and under - they walk miles everyday. Her average for the last three months is around 5 miles a day - some days they walk 10+ miles and they have a reasonably long walk to and from nursery which the kids do no problem - the youngest is barely a year old so is obviously in a pushchair but the oldest is around 4 and walks all the time.

Flip