When it comes to travelling to school, the most popular option is walking, especially if the school is located close to home. However, in some cases, this may not be a choice, meaning students will have to find another means of travel. This is usually a parent travelling back and forth every day or a more convenient option of riding the school bus.
Regardless of if your child has caught a bus before, it is still worth preparing them for any changes that they may face ahead. To do this you may want to talk them through safety, and rules and accompany them on the journey beforehand. Below is some advice from this senior school in the West Midlands on preparing your child for the school bus.
Safety
Given that this may be the first time your child will be travelling without you or an adult they are familiar with, it is vital that they understand and practice safety when travelling on a school bus. As they will be travelling in a moving vehicle, there are many safety risks that they will have to learn and overcome. For example, remind them to always stay seated when the bus is moving, even if they see others standing or walking when the bus isn’t stationary.
Strangers
Another lesson that shouldn’t be avoided is the danger of strangers. Whilst your child doesn’t need to think badly of every person they come across, it is still important that they are wary when travelling on public transport with people they don’t know. Remind them daily not to talk to strangers, unless they know who they are such as the bus driver. This is something they should take heed of and practice both on and off the bus.
Travel buddy
Having someone to travel with may be the easiest way to make this new change seem more exciting and help keep away nerves. Talk to your friends and find out if there are any children in the local area who will be attending the same school and riding the same bus. If you really get stuck, simply contact the school as they will be more than happy to help.
