Active Transportation in K-8 Peel Schools

Are you a parent living in the Region of Peel, with children in kindergarten to grade 8? Use the active transportation resources on this page to get moving to and from school in healthy and active ways!

We encourage teachers to take advantage of these resources too! You can use them in class and share with students and their families.

NEW: GET MOVING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE!
A Resource For Teachers and Students in Peel Region

We are excited to share a new interactive online tool to engage students in active transportation! Designed specifically for Peel schools, our storymap encourages K-8 classes to think about how they travel to school and share their experiences.

Click on the image below to explore the storymap.

The TRCA Get Moving for Climate Change storymap is an interactive online tool designed to engage K to 8 students from Peel Region in active transportation

  • A mapping tool that allows students to measure how far they travel
  • Opportunities to share words, sounds, and pictures that portray an aspect of their journey
  • Resources for taking public transit
  • An exploration of whole-school initiatives such as Drive to Five and how to implement these at your school

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STORYMAP

What is Active Transportation?

Active transportation means using people power to get where you’re going!

You can use your feet, bike, scooter, or any other form of non-motorized vehicle to get you to your destination.

child riding bicycle
two children wearing knapsacks and walking hand in hand to school
child on scooter

DID YOU KNOW?

Active transportation …

bicycle wheel icon Helps to promote well-being and positive mental health, including reducing day-to-day stress.
bicycle wheel icon Increases physical fitness/activity, including helping to lower risks of chronic disease such as obesity and/or diabetes.
bicycle wheel icon Increases the ability to learn, improves concentration, and helps your children do better in school.
bicycle wheel icon Helps to reduce traffic congestion in and around school zones, which means safer streets for everyone.
bicycle wheel icon Helps to reduce your climate impact and the harmful effects of air pollution.

GET YOUR FAMILY INVOLVED

bicycle wheel icon Use the resources below to help you gain more knowledge and comfort with active transportation.
bicycle wheel icon Bookmark this page and check back often — we’ll be adding new resources regularly!
bicycle wheel icon Reach out to your child(ren)’s EcoSchools or active transportation lead to see how you can support your school and your community in promoting active transportation choices.

MAKE IT YOUR FIRST CHOICE

bicycle wheel icon Make walking or rolling to school your first choice!
If it were up to the kids, they would choose walking or rolling to school as their first choice. Why not make it yours too? Even if your school is far from home, students can walk to the bus stop! Consider different ways a pick-up or drop-off routine could include stepping out of your car and completing your journey to school by walking or rolling.
bicycle wheel icon Plan and practice!
As a household you can begin to practice your route to school together. You can also encourage children to walk or roll on their own, with siblings or friends, depending on their age and maturity.

Active Transportation News & Articles

child cycling on multi-use trail

Spring is Here: Time to Get Active!
June 2, 2022 – June is Bike Month! With the days getting warmer and the world getting greener, are you ready to get active on your way to school or work?
READ MORE

child walks nature trail at Kortright Centre

Building a Sense of Place Through Walking to School
February 23, 2022 – This is a great time to explore A Walking Curriculum by author Gillian Judson, who seeks to inspire her students’ creativity by getting them outdoors.
READ MORE

child enjoys time in the playground after winter walk to school

Walk, Walk, Walk to School …
January 21, 2022 – The “convenience” of driving kids to school gets in the way of our capacity to appreciate our own self-propelled mobility. Let’s take back the walk!
READ MORE

OLDER ARTICLES

Resources

WALK AND ROLL TO SCHOOL: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

Walk and Roll to School - A Guide for Parents This new guide from Region of Peel includes tips and resources to make walking and rolling to school easier for you and your family. DOWNLOAD NOW.

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Benefits of Walking and Rolling to School
  • Walking Skills Checklist
  • School Travel: Myths vs Facts

BIKING VIDEOS FOR PARENTS

Use these videos to help get the whole family’s bikes ready to go for the season. Complete an ABC Quick Check before you head out for your ride.

More videos to come — stay tuned!

ACTIVITIES: Active Transportation BINGO!

Get everyone in the household familiar and comfortable with the active route to school by playing this fun BINGO game!

Play as often as you can, using all the different modes of active transportation before the start of the school year, so that the whole family is ready to get walking and rolling!

We’ve created three different cards. To keep the game fresh, download a different card for each member of your family, or select a new one each time you play!

Select the thumbnails below to download.

active transportation bingo card number one
Active Transportation bingo card number two
active transportation bingo card number three
active transportation bingo card number four

WEBINARS

Active, Safe and Healthy: Rethinking Your Journey Back to School

In this webinar, we explore how active transportation can make the trip to school an opportunity to enjoy exercise, quality time, and meaningful connection with your children and your community. Hear from Peel Region partners: Peel Public Health, Peel Regional Police, Peel District School Board, and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.

View the recorded webinar:

READ THE WEBINAR Q&A

 

Active Transportation in Peel Schools

Region of Peel and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), in partnership with local Peel organizations, have designed a webinar for teachers, administrators, and parents of Peel students to learn more about and be better prepared to help youngsters become more active on their commutes to and from school.

View the recorded webinar:

USEFUL LINKS

MORE RESOURCES COMING SOON!


Supporters

This project is made possible through financial support from Green Communities Canada and the Government of Ontario.
Green Communities Canada and the Government of Ontario

TRCA also gratefully acknowledges the support of the
TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation