Cycle To School Week: Top Teaching Ideas For Schools
Updated on: October 4, 2023
Whether you hold your event during the official Cycle To School Week or on a different date, Cycle To School Week is an excellent opportunity to reflect on the many benefits of an eco-friendly commute.
From health to finances, the environment and the sheer fun of getting on a bike, there are lots of reasons why we should all consider cycling to work or school more often, whether it’s Cycle To School Week or not.
For younger children, a scooter or tricycle can offer similar benefits.
Why Cycle? The Benefits of Cycling
Healthy
Cycling is a great way to keep the heart and body healthy. As you pump your legs, the heart and a wide range of muscles in the body get a brilliant aerobic workout.
According to NHS Scotland, cycling regularly can reduce the risk of a number of serious illnesses including: heart disease, type 2 diabetes and strokes.
The design of a bike also means the body’s joints aren’t put under the same levels of pressure that they get from other types of cardiovascular activities such as running.
Cheap
Once you’ve purchased a bike, helmet and some reflectors for safety, there are no further costs. With fuel prices constantly on the rise, cycling leaves room for riders to make significant cost-savings when swapping other modes of transport for a bike.
Bikeability estimate families could save around £160 a year by cycling to school instead of taking the car.
Mood-Boosting
Riding in the open air to and from school guarantees everyone gets plenty of fresh air to start and finish the day.
We know fresh air contains mood-boosting endorphins which can help to give us a more positive outlook. When thinking about the school day, from behaviour to motivation, there are lots of ways biking to school could make the day better for all.
Universal
Bikes can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike, so cycling is a great way for the whole family to spend time in the outdoors together.
Non-Polluting
Unlike all the toxic greenhouse gases which are pumped into the atmosphere every time we travel in a non-electric vehicle, biking to work or school has no impact on the environment.
According to Bikeability, one child choosing to cycle to school for a year could save almost a tonne in carbon dioxide emissions.
Think about the school run. If children, parents, carers, and staff swapped cars and buses for bikes, how many benefits could that have for each person, the local community, and the wider environment?
This is the thinking behind Cycle To School Week. If we all got on our bikes more often, we could do a lot of good for ourselves, each other, and the planet.
Let’s take a closer look at what Cycle To School Week is and how you can get involved at any time of the year. All of our teaching ideas are fun and practical activities that are easy to implement whether pupils are in KS1, KS2 or EYFS.
Cycle To School Week: Top Teaching Ideas For Schools
What Is Cycle To School Week?
Cycle To School Week officially takes place from around 25 – 27 September. It’s an annual event that’s also known as Bike To School Week. However, the organisers encourage all schools to get involved at any time of the year.
Cycle To School Week is designed to encourage everyone across the school community to swap cars and buses for bikes.
Whenever you decide to hold your event, everyone should be invited to cycle to and from school for at least one week.
The inspirational event is organised by Bikeability in partnership with Sustrans.
The Bikeability Trust deliver the Department for Transport’s cycling training scheme for children in England. Their goal is to help children learn how to cycle safely and confidently on the UK’s roads.
From children to parents, carers and staff, your cycle to school event will be something everyone can get involved in. The idea is that each event will help us realise how beneficial cycling is, with the hope that we can all build better habits for the future.
Whether that means using a bike to commute more often or just thinking a bit more about how often we travel by car, each event is guaranteed to leave participants with plenty to think about.
Cycle To School Week: How To Get Involved
To get involved, everyone is invited to make one of four cycling pledges.
The four options for pledges are:
- To cycle to school every day for one week.
- To cycle instead of taking the car for one day during the event.
- To take a cycle ride with the family during the event.
- To travel somewhere new on a bike.
You want your event to inspire children to choose to travel by bike more often so here are some fun teaching ideas you can use during your dedicated week of cycling.
1. Who Wants To Be A Cycling Genius
After learning about cycling safety play Who Wants To Be A Cycling Genius as a whole class.
Tell children they will play in table teams. Give each table a shaker to shake when they know the answer. Let each table choose a name and write it on a whiteboard.
Ask children questions about what they have learnt.
Each table has one phone a friend. They can have someone called in from the class next door to consult with for one question.
Each table also has one 50:50 which involves the team being told it is one of two answers.
Each correct answer wins the table 10 points. Each wrong answer loses the team 10 points. The winning table gets a prize or extra play.
2. Design A Cycling Outfit
This is a great opportunity to link science with road safety and citizenship. From friction to materials, safety when riding and how the body works during cycling, there are lots of ways to incorporate different areas of the curriculum into this project.
After learning about how to ride on England’s roads safely, children need to design an outfit that will be safe and comfortable for all children to ride to and from school.
3. EYFS Playground Design
Challenge children to think about safety in the EYFS playground where there are lots of trikes and scooters.
Show examples of innovative road safety playground markings from our collection.
Ask children to work in pairs to design a playground using our road safety playground markings. You might even decide to have the winning design transformed into a new EYFS playground for your school.
For more information about running your own cycle to school event or to sign up for a pledge, visit: bikeability.org.uk/cycletoschoolweek.
See our road safety playground markings
Jess Sparks
Jess is deeply committed to supporting our mission of positively impacting UK outdoor play environments to promote healthy lifestyles in children.
With a CIM Level 6 Diploma in Sustainable Marketing, Jess channels her passion for sustainability into her marketing role, using her skills to promote eco-conscious practices and raise awareness for our initiatives.
Jess’ experience within the industry is instrumental in driving engagement and supporting connections with those who require ultra-durable, high-grade playground markings both locally and internationally.