The school run.
It is certainly one of the most chaotic times of the day for many families across the UK, and it is undoubtedly one of the most challenging parts of the day; simply getting your kids to and from the school gates!
Over a 3rd of UK school kids are taken to school by car, meaning more cars are on the road creating more traffic.
Whether you're a parent, guardian, or maybe even a teacher, you know how difficult getting children up and dressed in time for a school run can be.
And every day, this is compounded by the fact that we have to follow up with actually getting them there too!
The daily school run can be one of the most singular stressful parts of parenting.
But luckily, there are a few things that you can do to make it easier for yourself and your family.
Here are five ways to help tackle the school run with more ease!
Cycling or Walking
Talk openly to your kids about if they're ready to try cycling or walking part of the way to school.
A recent combination study by the University College London in collaboration with TFL has found that cycling or walking to school is good for your health and wellbeing.
In fact, the study found that children who walk or cycle to school are less likely to be overweight versus those who get a lift.
The study also found that physical activities, such as cycling or walking to school, can help improve classroom behaviour for the children and reduce school run anxiety for you!
Cycling and walking is an excellent way of getting some exercise and fresh air in the morning while cutting down on traffic congestion, angry drivers and pollution near schools.
Try A 'Walking Bus'
You could try a 'walking bus,' which is where 2 or more parents or teachers lead children to school.
Very simply, walking school buses are groups of children walking to school with one or more adults.
It can be as simple as two or more families taking turns to walk their children to school, or it can have an additional structure like meeting points on a route with timetables for regularly rotated volunteers.
It's simple, effective, and really beats the school run stresses.
Find a new parking location.
You may be able to locate a suitable parking space a little way away from the school - traffic chaos is often the result of heavy parking and waiting.
Finding a new parking place can be the perfect way to beat the school run anxiety and save yourself time.
This will help you avoid situations where you're stuck in traffic, lost in the car park, or have to queue at the gate for ages - all of which would make for a terrible morning.
Share lifts
Alternatively, you and other parents who live close together could always take turns being school run drivers and giving lifts.
There are many tasks involved in becoming a designated school run driver.
In addition to making sure you have the correct child restraints in your car for the right child at the right time, be mindful that there is much more to it than just driving children safely every day. A dash cam can be a great way of protecting you and your vehicle.
You'll need organisation and responsibility skills as well as good time-management skills if you're going to do this successfully!
However….only doing this a couple of times a week as opposed to every single day could beat the school run madness!
Conclusion
If you're anything like most, you might find yourself in an endless cycle of packing and unpacking children, driving, ferrying, and running.
