How long can a 4 year old walk to school?

[Jumzy]

New to scotland and to the weather. My kids have never walked to school and are new to the cold weather. I wanted to ask if its feasible for a 4 year old to walk 20 minutes to school? Not sure how cold it gets......

I don't know many 4 year olds who would be up for that..

At that age we did nursery walks with a scooter, balance bike, or bike; 20m of that was fine even in very cold weather as long as they were in appropriate clothing.

Is that a 20 min walk for an adult? How many miles / km is it? Rather than minutes

I think you'll be stressed, we are usually on the last minute in the morning and we have to run! Kids are tired walking home after a long day at school at that age as well.

I would have thought 20 mins at a child's pace would be fine In England, for a child of that age , up to 45 mins travel time (irrespective of mode of travel) is considered reasonable.

Absolutely normal around here for kids to walk 20min to school in p1 but that is 20min for the child, it would be 10-15 for a lone adult in sensible shoes.
A 20min (adult) or 30min (child) walk is about the most people here do at that age.
But cold really doesn’t come into it. I’m fact in snow and ice like now we’re MORE likely to walk than drive as it’s safer.

Yes, its feasible. Although if they arent used to walking, they may struggle initially.
Biking and scooting are also ways to speed things up.
I'm a bit further south than you, but id say its about as cold as its going to get right now. I'd also say its not the cold but the rain or wind that makes the walking miserable.
Is walking the only option? Can you drive or bus some days?

They can definitely do it, but if they are not used to walking they might complain a lot. Also when Google says 20 min it takes us about 30 and that is if we don't meet a friend or find some other distraction! Scooter or bike might work if the path is safe and flat.

It's the rain and wind that make it miserable not the cold. You have to be in full on waterproofs to make it to school dry. If it's bad we put on wellies and waterproof trousers to walk to school.

@Oh12lookanothernamechange1234

Is that a 20 min walk for an adult? How many miles / km is it? Rather than minutes

Good point

It depends how good of a Walker your child is generally.

Mine walked 25 minutes to school every day through primary as DH took the car to work. Scooters are your friend. It's a great way to start the day (unless the rain is horizontal )

My 3 year old used to do a 15 min walk to nursery before we moved. It was slow and a bit tedious but ok. He is 4 now and could probably do a 20 min walk in principle but it would get a bit whingy

Like others I think the issue is small children having to walk distances being a total pain in the arse. The cold is another issue - you can get the right gear and dress warmly.

Only a mile then? Fine as long as it's not raining heavily or the pavements are icy.

generally in Scotland children under 8 that live more than 2 miles from school, or on an unsafe walking route even with adult ( ie no footpath on a lane/road) are entitled to school transport
we live 1.3 miles from school but DD gets school transport as on 40mph road with no footpath and often no verge either
over the age of 8 it is 3 miles
Scottish schools are generally aminable to kids wearing wellies to school warm coats and gloves , uniform can't be enforced by discipline nor can you be refused an education for not wearing uniform, so they can wear red wellies and bright green coat, some schools make them change into pumps inside because of bad weather don't want outdoor shoes indoors ( esp pre-covid)
The only thing definitely banned is football stuff because of sectarian problems so no celtic/rangers stuff

My kids were walked a mile (20 mins) to school age 4, perfectly possible and they did it in all weathers, albeit I'm in London, not Scotland.

I'm in the north of England. My sons primary school is about 20 minutes away. Depending how fast you walk I can walk it on my own within 15 minutes, less if I walk quickly. When my son first started school it took 20-25 minutes to walk with him. Now he's more used to it he can walk it in about 15 minutes. It's never been a problem at all.

The cold isn't the issue, it's the wet weather that you might find disagreeable, your kid will be fine with 20 mins, that's only a mile (legally you only get transport over 2 miles (under 8) if it's the nearest school (or named) unless the route is unsafe

Mine walk just over 1.5 miles each way. They have a scooter though so can be pulled along if they get tired

Im in Scotland- most kids round here who aren't driven by car and dropped off by a parent on the way to work either walk, bike or scoot if they are under 1 mile from school. Over a mile they can get on school bus.

A good raincoat and footwear is definitely required though.

Mine would be fine, some of her friends would have been weeping. It completely depends on your child. And your time management.

Oh thanks for the answers. Its 0.8miles to walk

I'm in Scotland and my DS (aged 5, I presume yours will be young for the year) walks to school and back. We are about 15 minutes walking one-way at his pace (I can do it in 7 at my pace!) and I think that's totally normal.

I would worry about a school child who can't walk for twenty minutes, my three year old regularly does.

I would have said that's very manageable. My DC always had a 1.5 mile walk to school with hills! Just make sure you leave plenty of time because they will probably take four times longer to walk it than you!

On the map it says the distance from our house to my sons school is 0.6 miles. We walk every day as neither my husband or I drive, and the quickest way is cutting through residential side streets, so no bus either.