Walk to School: 5 Reasons I Walk My Kids to School (You May Be Surprised Why!) by Tanya Kuzmanovic

I'll admit, some days it would just be so much easier to load the kids up in the car and zip them off to school. It would mean sleeping in a bit longer and a more leisurely breakfast. But we don't. And my reasons why may surprise you.

• Exercise: Nothing gets the kids prepared for their day more than a nice, brisk 1K walk to school. And at the end of the day, there's no need to stress if they decide to be couch potatoes for an hour.

• Conversation: We are a busy family of five, which means little to no time to catch up. I count on these two walks a day to find out what's going on with my brood.

• Social Aspect: We know every single neighbor on our street by name, as well as many more along the stretch to school. It would be impossible to stop and chat if we were driving.

• Independence: My older kids don't have to rely on me to get them to and from school, which makes my life easier and frees up some precious spare time for me.

• Walking the dog: I kill two birds with one stone.

• Nature appreciation: The kids and I can stop and smell the roses ... literally.

Do you walk your kids to school?

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