Active School Travel Events

Local schools, parent groups, and neighbourhoods can spark conversation and learning with annual encouragement events that celebrate active school travel. Through the year there are a few well-known events, detailed below, however a group may chose to develop their own theme and set of activities to help more families walk, roll, bike, scoot, bus, & park n stride on the way to and from school.

Learn of annual events below, and access our Event Planning Checklist to get started on your event today!

iWALK – International Walk to School Day/Month (OCTOBER)

International Walk to School Day is an annual global traditionally event held on the first Wednesday in October. Since 1999, Active School Travel Peterborough has joined millions of children, parents, and community leaders from over 40 countries around the world in organizing community-wide Walk to School Day events!

Through the simple action of walking to school, students can positively influence their health and the health of the planet. IWALK demonstrates the positive impacts of local action on issues such as environmental sustainability, physical activity, and safer communities. Last year alone, Ontario’s IWALK event involved 425,000 students from 1,023 schools and helped to avoid the release of 15 tonnes of greenhouse gases; a contribution that helps us all breathe a little easier!

Local schools are invited to host their own iWALK event during International Walk to School Month. Promotional materials can be found on Ontario Active School Travel’s IWALK page. To learn more about this global event, visit the official International Walk to School Month website.

Winter Walk Day (FEBRUARY)

Winter Walk Day is typically held on the first Wednesday in February. It can be just as fun and fast to walk and roll to school in the winter months, however student travel surveys often show a steep decline when the snow starts to fly.

With Winter Walk Day families and students learn about how to prepare for winter active travel, special safety tips for winter weather, and the joys of being active in the winter months.

Find Winter Walk Day activities, along with promotional materials, at Ontario Active School Travel’s Winter Walk Day page.

Bike to School Day/Week (MAY/JUNE)

As we roll into Spring there couldn’t be any better weather to inspire children and youth to pick up their bike and learn some new skills on the ride to and from school! Bike to School Week usually takes place in the last week of May/first week of June, though encouraging cycling for the trip to school can happen as early as late March/early April each spring.

Give a shout to Active School Travel Peterborough if you would like to bring Let’s Bike: Cycling Education and Celebration Event to your community. These events can be held during school hours or as after-school events, and are super successful when combined with another school function. We can also help with planning of a Bike to School Day for your school!

For information on how to take part in Bike to School Week, check out Ontario Active School Travel’s webpage.

Event Planning Checklist

Here is an Active School Travel Event Planning Checklist to help your group work through the details and get set for your event: