How to Teach a Child to Walk Home From School

Allowing a child to walk to school is one of the greatest challenges for a parent. It's difficult watch him leave the safety of his home and walk out of sight toward school. However, all children strive for that first little bit of independence. It's up to parents to teach him as much about safety as possible before he make that first walk to school alone.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Choose the safest and most direct route to school from your home. Check with the school to see whether they have safety patrol guards and schedule the route accordingly.
2. Discuss the importance of the buddy system. Children should always walk with another child, preferably a group of children. Get together with all of the children who'll be walking together and make sure they all understand the importance of safety rules.
   
   
   
3. Walk the chosen route with your child, discuss all of the possibilities of places they might stop and what friends they may have along the way. Stress the fact that they should never deviate from the planned route without your knowledge and permission.
4. Point out safe areas along the route such as a library, grocery store, bank or a trusted neighbor's house. They should go to these places if they feel uncomfortable about a situation or if they feel like someone is following them.
5. Teach your child all of the traffic rules. Discuss the different signals and signs and what each one means. Make sure they understand how to use the lights at a crosswalk, but that they shouldn't depend on them totally. They must still look to the left, to the right and back to the left again before crossing the street.
6. Talk to your child about the way someone might try to lure her close to his car with stories about lost puppies or to ask for directions. Most responsible adults know not to approach a child and ask for information.
   
   

Tips & Warnings

• An adult should walk to and from school with a child 10 years old or younger. His peripheral vision is not fully developed, and he doesn't yet have the capability to judge the speed or distance of oncoming traffic.