7 Walk to School Safety Tips

We bought our house located less than a quarter of a mile from an elementary school the spring before Boy Wonder started kindergarten. “How great it will be to walk to and from school when he gets just a little older!” we thought.

Five years later as Boy Wonder gears up to enter the 5th grade where apparently “everybody walks to school” he’s begging for the opportunity to go it alone. Sigh. Really?

Despite my reservation, it doesn’t seem unreasonable. About.com mentioned that the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests kids younger than 10 years old (or 5th grade) may not possess the problem solving ability to handle unforeseen circumstances. Call me a helicopter parent, but I’m having a hard time with the idea of letting him go.

I suspect sometime within this 5th grade school year I’ll loosen the reins and allow him to walk alone … I think … maybe … but only if he follows these 7 very important safety tips for walking to school.