How to start cycling to school with kids

Congratulations on deciding to cycle your child to school! You’re joining an ever growing group of parents who are making the switch to a healthier, greener and more enjoyable way to travel each day.

While some people are happy to just take the bike out the shed and get going, others need a bit more time to plan, figure out how they’re going to do it, and equip themselves with the know-how to make the school run as stress-free as possible. If this is you, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re feeling nervous about your first morning commute, please don’t worry. We've been there and know how you feel. Going from what you know to something new is always a bit difficult, but we’re here to make the change as stress-free as possible.

In this article we’ve outlined everything you need to know to get started doing the school run by bike.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive step-by-step guide, download our free ‘Cycle to School’ guide.

Why you should cycle to school with your kids

Before we get started with the practical advice, here are some of the many reasons why you should consider cycling to school with your kids. 

If you know with 100% certainty that this is for you, then feel free to skip this section. But if you’re still a little on the fence, then it’s important to know your ‘why’, because on the cold and dark mornings in winter when you’re not feeling well, and you need to motivate yourself to get going, this is what will get you out of the door on your bike every time.

Here are some of the key benefits to doing the school run by bike:

• Saving money: the cost of living keeps going up, along with the price of petrol and maintaining the car (or two cars, in the case of many households). Doing the school run by bike can be a great way to use your car less and save money on petrol.
• Fresh air: if you live in a built-up area, then getting out of the car and choosing active travel will help reduce the amount of air pollution in your area. It also opens up traffic-free routes to you that are much nicer than the busy roads you’re crawling along four times a day.
• Exercise: do you wish your child would get off their screen and go outside more? Cycling to school together is the perfect way to do that. It not only gets you all outside in nature, but helps contribute to a more active and healthy lifestyle.
• Save time: If you spend a lot of the school run crawling through traffic jams, you’ll be pleased to know that cycling to school will save you a lot of time. When you’re on a bike you can skip the gridlocked main roads and use smaller back roads and traffic-free paths to cut down your journey.

The best ways to transport your kids by bike are:

• Front bike seats – for babies and toddlers – good for young children and parents with longer arms. Here’s our guide to the best front bike seats for toddlers and young children and the best front bike seats for older kids.
• Rear bike seats – for babies to 5 years old – good for toddlers and slightly older kids, so long as you don’t want to wear a rucksack. Check out our list of the best rear bike seats for toddlers and young children and best rear bike seats for older kids.
• Trailers – for babies to around 6 years old – cheapest way of carrying up to two kids or lots of ‘stuff’. Offers passengers protection from the elements. Take a look at the best kids’ bike trailers we recommend.
• Cargo bikes – for babies to teens – can carry larger families or more ‘stuff’, with options for e-assist and weather protection for the passengers. To choose the right one for your needs, these are the best cargo bikes for families.
• Tagalongs – for 4-9 year-olds – a single wheel and saddle that attaches behind your bike. For a full breakdown of options, read our list of the best tagalong bikes.

Finding a safe route to cycle to school

It’s very important to plan your route to school carefully, by choosing a safe route depending on your children’s ability, or your own, if you are carrying them on your bike.

Sadly, it’s a postcode lottery as to whether you have a safe route to school. Some places have wonderful cycling infrastructures, others don’t.

It’s worth remembering that you may not need to cycle the route you currently drive, there could be other options by bike.

Take a look at Google Maps, speak to people you know who cycle in your area, and actually get out exploring. Are there side roads or cut-throughs that you never see because you’re in the car all the time?

In our free ‘Cycle to School’ guide we go through in a lot of detail how to plan your route and practice riding it before your first school run.

Make sure you test the route with your child on a weekend or holiday, so there’s no rush to get to school on time. You can time how long it takes and adjust your morning routine accordingly.

If you really don’t have a safe route our guide also tells you how to notify the most appropriate local official or an elected representative.

It’s important they know that you’re trying to cycle to school, but can’t. Encourage others at your school or in your neighbourhood to do the same and things may change.

If you are astonished by the lack of safe routes to your school, or if there’s a dangerous crossing along the way, don’t hesitate to contact your local councillors.

Carrying school bags by bike

With nursery and school come bookbags, sports kits, musical instruments, lunch bags, and all the other things that they need to take to school. Have you thought about how to carry everything?

If your route is not too hilly and your children cycle themselves, they can probably carry their own rucksack.

Panniers (bags that you clip onto the rear rack of your bike) are an amazing solution for both adult and kids bikes. You can also get double ones that are buckets that you can fill with all the bags and other things that you need to carry such as water bottles and raincoats.

Trailers usually offer some storage space. Bike seats obviously don’t come with any storage space and you might struggle to fit a rucksack in between you and your child. Putting panniers under a rear bike seat is also a challenge, if possible at all.

A front basket might be a good option if you’re using bike seats.

Plan for wet and cold weather

It might rain or get cold on your bike to school. If you’re going to be cycling in all weathers, you’ll have to be prepared with waterproof coats, waterproof trousers and gloves. Here’s our guide to the best kids’ packable waterproof cycling jackets that keep them dry and pack down small enough to be stowed in a bag or pocket. We’ve also got a great guide to the best kids’ cycling gloves to protect their hands.

Smaller children get colder quicker, especially if they are exposed to the elements in a bike seat or on a cargo bike.

There are plenty of options out there to keep them warm though.

How do I prepare for cycling my kids to school?

Now you know the basics, you need to go away and think about what suits your family best.

Then comes the fun bit! You need to start to design your perfect school run set up!

Read up on all the links in this article, and browse Cycle Sprog to understand more about the various options.

Speak to other parents who already cycle - they may even let you have a go on their particular set up.

We also recommend joining the Family Cycling UK Facebook Group to get loads of inspiration from other parents who have already made the switch.

Only you can decide what will work for you, practically and budget wise.

When you're sorted with the hardware you need to make sure you're ready mentally and emotionally, which is where our free ‘Cycle to School’ guide comes in.

Then you're ready to cycle the school run for the very first time!

Other articles you might be interested in:

• How to start cycling with a small child in a bike seat, cargo bike or trailer
• Getting ready to teach your child to ride a bike
• What's the best age to teach a child to ride a bike?
• 2 vs 3 wheeled cargo bikes; which is best for carrying kids? 
• Kids cycling to school shouldn't be rocket science
• How to get more children cycling safely to your school
• How to clean a kids bike
• How to stop your kid getting saddle sore: a guide to kids bike saddles