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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Do 4 year old DC walk/scooter/cycle to school 1.1 miles?

56 replies

Lily7050 · 03/01/2023 13:07

Distance to school is 1.1 mile, 22 minutes adult walk.
Is it too much for 4 year old to walk/scooter/cycle this distance twice a day?
There is no bus route that gets close to the school. Bus travel comes to similar time (~20 minutes) with 6-9 minutes walk (adult walk) on both ends.
We have a car so can drive DC to the school but might get a bad traffic in peak hours.
I am guessing Reception children are not brought in pushchairs.
Shall I get some kind of trolley like Micro Wagon
or there is no need and 4 year old confidently do 1.1 miles twice a day by foot, scooter or bike?
I would prefer to buy something in advance rather than discover in September that the distance is too much for DS and buy in rush whatever is available.

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Favouritefruits · 03/01/2023 14:24

Depends on the child, my eldest wouldn’t of been able to walk quickly enough and would moan at walking that distance especially after school but my youngest would run all the way and enjoy every minute. Definitely don’t use a pram or a wagon, even 4 and 5 year olds can be mean. I’d get a scooter a solid three wheeler because after school they will be tired and clumsy!

Yika · 03/01/2023 14:27

It’s not only a question of stamina but also willingness / compliance.

My DD was one of those children who, though strong and athletic, would do anything except just walk forward by my side. She would stand still, sit down, play hide and seek in doorways, go backwards, run off, climb trees, closely examine a blade of grass, etc. it was extremely wearing after a long day of work. A few parents did use buggies at that age but I thought she might be embarrassed (she wouldn’t have as it happens) so I drove. It was about the same distance.

ClangingBell · 03/01/2023 14:30

It’s not too far, but be prepared for it being a very whiny walk home for at least the first term. They’re so tired when they first start reception, they will struggle on the way home no matter what their stamina is like. They will get used to it though.

Libmama · 03/01/2023 14:34

My just 4 year old scoots 2 miles to school and 2 miles back every day. When he was younger I just used to pull him on his scooter on the way home but he manages it easily now. He refused to go in a pushchair from before he was 2 and it was either pushchair or scooter so he made his choice!

kaffkooks · 03/01/2023 15:19

We use a tandem to cycle my 4 year old to school so if he's tired he doesn't need to do much. Another option is a box bike like the use to get children around in the Netherlands.

prescribingmum · 03/01/2023 15:34

As others have pointed out, there are variables but it is reasonable to assume that an able-bodied child will be able to do that if they have built up the stamina in the run upto starting school

DC2 used to cycle around 1 mile to nursery every morning from around 3.5 years old. There was not much uphill riding in the journey. School is about 0.7 miles so reasonably short and both DC walk/bike/scooter each day now. At our school, not a single school aged child comes in a pushchair

ReadtheReviews · 03/01/2023 15:35

I used to sit on the saddle or parcel shelf of an adult bike at similar age for similar distance. My mum would push the bike there and ride home.

arethereanyleftatall · 03/01/2023 15:45

I think it's a great idea and you're ticking so many of the daily boxes...

Exercise (free, no need for any extra curricular)
One on one time
Chat about stuff
Fresh air
Good way to fill time between school and bed
Can be more relaxed about screen time once home as you've ticked the boxes above

lanthanum · 03/01/2023 18:32

A scooter works well when they're tired - mine used to stand on the scooter holding the handlebar with one hand and my hand with the other, and let me do most of the work.
It can be a good idea to take a snack to eat in the playground before walking home, or on a bench somewhere on the way home. Lunch is often quite early for reception kids.

(Schools doing the daily mile is all very well, but it can be a bit much for a reception child who has just walked a mile to get there!)

ZebraKid71 · 03/01/2023 19:57

My three and five year olds do pretty much the same distance to school/nursery and back, occasionally youngest gets tired on the way home towards the end of the week and will have a piggy back for a bit but I find distraction works well (we pass loads of sheep/cows/horses on the way so usually something to grab his attention).

I love the school run, it takes me 20 mins but half an hour with the kids so bear that in mind. We play I spy and other games and chat, I honestly get so much more information about how their day has been compared to the two minute car drive on the odd occasion I collect them in the car.

RobinRobinMouse · 03/01/2023 20:02

Mine walks, she's only a dot but she manages fine most of the time, unless she's extra tired for some reason. She couldn't cycle or scooter though as the hill is really steep.

LucyWhipple · 03/01/2023 20:07

Both my (summer born so young in year) dc managed this fine no problem (& to pre-school before that). Combo of walking /balance bike /scooter. Pull along strap was useful for the scooter but only needed for a short time - ds (my youngest) had stopped using it by Reception age.

We have a car but not as much fun as the walk in terms of quality chatting time and also takes longer than walking in school traffic.

I find it baffling that people think this is too far. Loads of dc at our school walk this far every day. It’s really not a big deal. Snack on pick up is a good idea.

CastleTower · 03/01/2023 20:20

I'm interested if any of those using scooters/bikes have hills to deal with. We're not at this stage yet, but all the primary schools in are area our at least 1.2 miles away and all would be steep downhill + steep unhill. I couldn't do it on a bike myself, for example. It's very challenging even to push a buggy tbh!

In our old area we did over a mile's walk with no issue at all, but it was flat (and not by any roads for most of it).

CastleTower · 03/01/2023 20:22

For goodness sake - should say "in OUR area ARE".

eatdrinkandbemerry · 03/01/2023 20:25

Mine did a mile walk easily at that age . And it was Monday to Friday there and back.

Edwardwilliamnancy · 03/01/2023 20:30

Ours was 1.5 mile up steep hill. My twins were walking there and back twice a day at age 3 to collect eldest. I think its building stamina up over time that helps but also bare in mind the first term they get very tired.
You could always try parking half way in an afternoon if that helps.

LarryStylinson · 03/01/2023 20:31

Ffs don't use a pushchair. There's a kid in my child's high school class that is still pointed out to newcomers as the one that had to be brought to school in a buggy

EarthlyNightshade · 03/01/2023 20:32

We scooted it for 6 months (before a planned move closer to school). I also had younger DS in pushchair.
The main issue we had was we were too far to have playdates as other kids weren't used to or couldn't manage the walk.
It was a bit unpleasant in the rain, so we did sometimes drive, mainly we scooted there and I sometimes picked up in the car (especially if having a playdate),
They grow bigger and stronger through the year as well, so by next Feb/March you'll hardly even notice it.

Loosingitall · 03/01/2023 20:35

It’s 1.7 miles each way for my son and he bikes it there and back no issues, or walks if his bike is in for repair/punctured tyre.
on the rare occasion I have to take him in the car he is not impressed!

Quinoawoman · 03/01/2023 20:35

My 4 year old walks 1.7 miles to school and back at least 3 days a week. I've had her in training since she was 3. It's literally the only exercise I get so it's tough luck for her! The benefits of walking (health, fresh air, emotional regulation, saves petrol money, environment) totally outweigh the drawbacks (takes longer, can be cold/wet/muddy, a bit of whinging) for my family.

Ponderingthemeaningoflife · 03/01/2023 20:40

How long is a piece of string! My reception child who was turning 4 in December could cycle the mile to and from school. My preschooler could scoot there and back in 2021 with his older sibling. However now it’s too much for him and I’m lucky if I get him there one way. We’ve got a strap too but as he has meltdowns I often end up having to use the pushchair.

gogohmm · 03/01/2023 20:48

We walked, some people walked nearer to 2 miles, plenty used bikes

2bazookas · 03/01/2023 20:55

A 4 yr old can easily walk a mile on level paved ground (twice a day), very good for their health.

If you take the scooter or bike and they get bored of it, you might end up having to push it yourself.

RhubarbFairy · 03/01/2023 21:01

Just adding to the voices of 'biild stamina now'. DS1 was lucky as I had DS2 in the buggy, and we had a buggy board, so he'd usually hop on that, or sometimes sit in the buggy if DS2 had decided he wanted to walk. But he was perfectly capable of doing the walk.

Definitely, always, always, always have a snack. My DC would never greet us with 'hello', straightaway it was 'what's my snack'. They were (and still are) ravenous when they come out. We usually take things like brioche/waffles/snack bars. Something with a carb and sugar hit combined. That sweetens the deal as you walk home.

At 4, both of mine had Mini Micro Scooters (the three wheeled ones). I'm short, so I could comfortably pull one along by the handle, but one of the pull straps is a good shout if you're taller.

BloodAndFire · 03/01/2023 21:05

Yes, it's fine. We moved when my youngest was in reception and the walk to primary school is about 1.7 miles each way and takes 25-30 mins. It's in London, a mix of main roads, residential roads and a grassy bit. I do bring snacks and a drink when I pick them up and very occasionally get a bus if it's pouring with rain. Always shocked by their friends who really struggle to do the walk because they are driven everywhere.

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