VicHealth's Walk to Kinder Day 2024

Published on 04 November 2024

Families encouraged to take part in Walk to Kinder Day

Colac Otway Shire Council is encouraging families to leave the car at home next week and walk, ride or scoot with their child to kinder.

Walk to Kinder (11-15 November) is a VicHealth initiative designed to encourage families to get active and support children to get the recommended 60 minutes of physical exercise per day.

Council’s Chief Executive Officer Anne Howard said there are many benefits of using active travel, even part of the way, to get to kinder.

“These benefits include having more energy, being ready to learn and creating healthy habits for life,” Ms Howard said.

To celebrate Walk to Kinder Day, Council has partnered with Barwon Water and Victoria Police to deliver a range of fun and educational activities for more than 200 kindergarten children across the shire.

“In addition to supporting children to get active, this year’s focus is also on road safety and making healthy choices when it comes to staying hydrated,” Ms Howard said.

Barwon Water will be visiting participating kindergartens with their life-sized water hero mascot ‘Drop’ to teach the children about choosing water instead of sugary drinks.

Local Victoria Police constables will join children on their walk to kinder and will share important messages about road safety.

“Our Local Laws officers will also bring along their mobile crossing strips to teach children how to safely use a school crossing, in preparation for their transition to primary school.

“We are very grateful to our partners for generously donating their time to help make Walk to Kinder a fun event, as well as an opportunity to support children to establish healthy and safe habits for life,” Ms Howard said.