7 questions about the way to school
How safe is a first-grader on the way to school?
First-graders from kindergarten know the «Kindertrottoir» (the side of the pavement facing away from the road) and have mastered the correct way to cross a road (with the familiar «wait - luege - lose - laufe»). «For 6- and 7-year-olds, other road users pose the greatest danger in traffic,» explains prevention officer Thomas Schib from the Zurich cantonal police's children and youth instruction centre. «Drivers in particular don't realise what an important role they play in connection with schoolchildren.»
Many drivers do not adhere to the motto of the current traffic campaign by TCS, the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu) and the police, "Bike stops, child goes". "Many don't realise that a child of this age has no chance of correctly judging the speed or distance of a car," continues Schib. In addition, many drivers make the mistake of waving to the child at the pedestrian crossing. The child then follows the adult's kind request and crosses the zebra crossing without looking again at the oncoming lane.
Does this mean that the way to school should be practised again?
School route from kindergarten. In first grade, however, new locations may be added depending on the situation. Perhaps the after-school care centre is in a new location or the child starts the journey home from the gym. These new routes should be practised through play. Perhaps this practice can be used as an opportunity to spend 1:1 time together with the child and discuss upcoming dreams or worries for the start of first grade. The shortest route is not always the best and the more fixed rules there are, i.e. traffic lights, pedestrian crossings etc., the better. It is advisable to equip your child with other items that can prevent an accident, such as light reflectors on clothing or a counter, and a bicycle helmet.
What should you do if your child doesn't want to walk on their own?
If a child does not want to walk to school or home alone, parents should talk to the child about it. Perhaps the child is being teased on the way to school or something seems unpleasant. One solution would be to accompany the first-grader on foot again for a while and make sure that the child still walks a certain distance to school alone at the end. Perhaps a new friend will be found and the child will want to walk alone again.
Parent taxis, i.e. mothers or fathers who drive their children to school by car, are not a solution.
What if the journey to school seems unreasonable?
The average journey to school in Switzerland is less than 1.5 km long, and over 40 per cent are even shorter than 400 metres. In most cases, children should therefore be expected to walk to school. Otherwise, the school is obliged to organise a school bus or pedibus. In the case of busy roads and junctions, pilot services or similar are used. Parent taxis, i.e. mothers or fathers who drive their children to school by car, are not a solution. It is important for children to be able to make their way to school on their own. In addition, manoeuvring cars in front of the school building are a danger to other children.
Not only traffic, but also conflicts with other children are an issue on the way to school. How should parents react?
The way to school and the playground are places for social experiences. Disagreements are part of this. However, if a child regularly gets into trouble, is bullied or cannot resolve the conflict alone, parents can provide support: It may be useful to talk to the other children involved and their parents. Or parents can seek dialogue with the class teacher. A child has the right to feel safe on the way to and from school. Demand this right.
The child dawdles on the way to school and is late for lessons or lunch. What should you do?
There are children who are resistant to any kind of rushing. This is normal and age-appropriate, as children have no concept of abstract notions of time. These only develop with everyday experiences and cognitive maturation. Psychologist Fabian Grolimund therefore advises parents of dawdling children to consistently refrain from admonitions such as "Hurry up!". He calls on them to consciously refrain from hurrying, as this usually has a counterproductive effect. More structure can help: Pick out the clothes in the evening and lay them out in a course in the morning. Perhaps there is a bell on the way to school that you should always hear ringing in the same place? Or you can invent a route to school together with your child to get them from one point to another in a playful way. If nothing else works, the child can also feel what they are missing if they dawdle. Then there may not be enough time to go to the playground or something similar.
What are scooters and the like doing on the way to school?
«Depending on the length of the journey to school, ability and age of the child, vehicle-like devices, or väG for short, are a clear alternative to walking,» says Thomas Schib. He advises caution, as he believes that your own feet are the safest means of transport. «Young children are often travelling far too fast on their bikes or scooters, they can't yet combine everything and react at the same time.» Due to their development, children only realise what a danger is from the age of five to six. And in traffic, it's better to exercise caution once too often.
Not happy with your journey to school?
If parents find their children's journey to school unreasonable, they should first seek dialogue with the school. In principle, parents are responsible for the journey to school. However, there are certain guidelines according to which a journey to school is categorised in terms of its reasonableness, and schools can be obliged to set up a pilot service, for example. More information can be obtained from the respective school and municipal authorities. If no solution can be found, there is still the legal process.
