iMove gets schools active

Over 4000 school children will be walking and cycling to school during the months of May and June with Sport Manawatu’s iMove programme.

iMove encourages more children to get to school actively (walking, cycling, scootering, skateboarding, rollerblading) rather than being driven in the car. 29 schools and five early childhood centres will be taking part in the initiative that first began in 2008.

Parents, whanau and caregivers are also encouraged to participate and will be rewarded through the iMove programme. Each time a parent/caregiver makes an active transport trip to school with their children, they will get their iMove card stamped.  When their cards are complete they go into a draw to win great prizes such as family pool vouchers.

Sport Manawatu’s Active Transport Coordinator Suzanne Winterburn says that parents and caregivers influence the likelihood of their children walking or biking to school, and that they wanted to offer an incentive to get more adults iMoving.

“Active transport has abundant benefits including increased physical activity, teaching safe and healthy habits at a young age, as well as reducing congestion around the school gates. But most importantly, it helps both kids and their parents to add fun to an everyday activity”, says Mrs Winterburn.

The iMove programme will run from May 13 until June 14, 2013.