For parents
Practising the way to school: helping your child feel safe
Before the first day of school and whenever something changes: practising the way to school with your child gives them confidence. Here you can read how to choose the route, how practising works best and what children should look out for in traffic.
Choose the safest route, not the shortest
A good route to school crosses as few roads as possible. Where your child has to cross, a traffic light, a zebra crossing or a crossing guard is best. A small detour is worth it if it avoids a dangerous spot. Ask the school whether there is a school route plan: it shows recommended routes and places where children need to take extra care.
Use traffic lights, zebra crossings or crossing guards
Cross few roads, even if the way is a little longer
Avoid driveways, parked cars and blind bends
Practise in four steps
Walk together: walk the route together several times and explain what your child needs to look out for.
Your child explains: on the way, your child tells you what they see and what they will do next.
Your child leads: they go ahead and decide. You stay close behind and only step in when needed.
Follow at a distance: you follow a little way behind. If all goes well, your child walks alone or with other children.
What matters
Practise at the real time
Practise at the time your child will walk later on. Then the traffic is like on a school day.
Be easy to see
Bright clothes and reflectors help, especially in autumn and winter when it is dark in the mornings.
Crossing the road
Stop at the kerb, look left, right and left again, and only go when the road is clear. At a zebra crossing too, wait until the cars have stopped.
Parked cars
Between parked cars your child cannot see the traffic well, and drivers cannot see your child. Look for a place with a clear view instead.
Enough time
Leaving on time means no rushing. Hurry makes children less careful.
Set an example
Children copy what adults do. Only cross on green yourself and take your time.
When to start?
Ideally in the summer holidays before school starts, and once more just before the first day, at the right time of day. Practise again when the days get shorter in autumn, after a move, or when something on the way changes, such as roadworks. Children are best off cycling to school only after their cycling training at primary school.
Children who walk to school become safer in traffic and more independent.
And if a spot is too dangerous?
Sometimes there is a spot on the way where you would not let your child walk alone. Then it helps if the school and the municipality know about it. With Zebrio, parents draw their child's route to school and mark exactly these spots. The school passes the results on to the municipality so that it can deal with them. Your school is not taking part yet? Talk to the parents' council or the head teacher.
Draw your own route
Mark dangerous spots
Show what already works well
- What is Zebrio?How parents show the way to school and report dangerous spots.
- Understanding the school run by carWhy parents drive their child and what helps.
- For parents' councilsHow a parents' council gets a survey started.
- School route glossaryFrom the school run to traffic inspections: terms around the way to school.
Your school is not taking part yet?
Talk to the head teacher or the parents' council and show them this page. If you would like to bring Zebrio to your school, you can also write to us directly.