During the winter months, it can be difficult to ensure that your child is warm on the bus ride to school. In a car, the temperature is a bit easier to control, whereas that luxury isn’t always available on a school bus. Follow these tips to keep bus-riders warm on the way to school.

Plan Ahead

It’s important to plan ahead so that you know what time the bus should be getting to your stop, says The Clarion. It’s much harder to warm up if you or your child has been standing out in the bitter cold waiting for the bus for an extended period of time. If you know that your bus makes several stops before it gets to your stop, plan to wait for the bus inside until you see the bus rounding the corner.

If you can’t see the bus from inside a warm space, try to plan out your routine so you’re only waiting for a few moments. If you can, drive to the bus stop to keep warm in the car. This also allows for a little more time together in the morning. It’s much easier to keep warm on the way to school if you’re already toasty from staying inside.

Break Out The Winter Gear

Not only is winter a great time to show off that new coat or scarf, but wearing appropriate clothes is important to keeping warm at the bus stop. Children should wear their warmest coats, plus, gloves, scarves, and long pants/shirts. Simply putting on more clothes means more warmth!

Even if your child dislikes wearing layers, it’s always easier to take off a jacket once he or she is on the bus than it is to keep warm at a bus stop without the proper attire! It’s also important to note that children should wear clothes that are easy for them to take on or off as needed.

Another tip is to bring a blanket. This is a portable way to keep warm, and is easily taken on and off without assistance.

Combat the Cold With Cardio

It may seem silly to do exercises while waiting at the bus stop but some light cardio will get your child’s blood flowing and warm them up! Do some jumping jacks or run in place while you wait. This will get your hearts pumping, which can help to warm you up from the inside out. It can be very fun and educational to get your friends and neighbors involved in these bus stop exercises as you and the kids try to keep warm!

Use this as a fun way to teach the children about their bodies and how to stay healthy. Keep in mind, though, sweating under layers of clothes and then standing out in the cold can cause hypothermia. If your child’s skin is wet from sweat, that could then make their body temperature drop. So don’t workout too hard!

Get Close With Friends

Now that your child has tried to keep warm at the bus stop, it’s important to keep warm on the bus. But, how? Your child can’t do jumping jacks in the seats – time to sit together with friends! Together they’ll help each other warm up using body heat. Packing a blanket that fits easily into their backpack can also help to keep warm on the bus.

Students can also listen to music or play a game to try to keep their minds off of the cold weather. And, remember, the drive to school doesn’t last forever, and they’ll be nice and warm in their classroom!

Give Yourself A Hand

There are other easy ways to stay warm, and they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Small hand warmers can be found at most gas stations during the winter. Once your child opens the package and rubs the warmers between their palms, their fingers and hands start to warm up, which helps the rest of their body warm up as well. Clapping your hands or blowing on them can also help to warm them up.

Do you have any tips for staying healthy and warm this winter?

Author: Serena Strobel, Teacher and Writer at A Grade Ahead