Across the United States, more than 26 million students count on 480,000 of those familiar yellow buses to get them safely to school and back home each day. And it really is a safe way to go: Less than 1% of traffic fatalities involve kids on school buses. This is partly because we teach kids how to behave on and around buses. National School Bus Safety Week is the perfect time to review those rules.
When is National School Bus Safety Week?
This event takes place each year during the third full week of October. National School Bus Safety Week 2024 takes place October 21-25. It’s sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), an organization dedicated to getting kids to and from school safely and efficiently.
During this week, schools and communities place special emphasis on busy safety practices. They may share messages on TV, radio, social media, and other community spaces to remind drivers to follow all laws when they encounter buses on the road. Schools also review safety rules with students and parents. One major highlight is the NAPT poster contest, with a new theme each year. Check out our list below for lots of ways to make this week special!
National School Bus Safety Week 2024 Activities and Ideas
NAPT Poster Contest
This annual contest is a fun way to get every student at your school involved. Hold a school-wide competition, then send the winners on to your NAPT State Director. They’ll choose their favorites to submit for the national finalists. Learn more about the NAPT poster contest here.
We Are Teachers
Play It SAFE
Teach students this simple acronym for bus safety:
S: Stay at least 10 feet (five giant steps) away from the curb while you wait.
A: Always wait for the bus to stop completely and the driver to signal it’s time to get on board.
F: Face forward once you’re in your seat.
E: Exit the bus after it stops completely. Always cross in front of the bus, once the driver signals that it’s safe to do so.
Bus Safety Activity Book
This free printable booklet has all sorts of activities for elementary-age kids. Print the whole book to pass out to students, or use individual pages for classroom activities. Get the School Bus Safety Activity Book from the Mississippi Department of Education.
School Bus Safety Drill
Safety drills help prepare students for the very rare emergencies that may occur. Tip: Give every student a chance to participate in these drills, not just those who ride the bus to and from school. This way, they’ll be prepared for field trips or after-school events that use school bus transportation.
Bus Stop Beautification
Encourage communities to make their school bus stops more visible—and more fun! This is a terrific community engagement project and would be great for project-based learning too.
Bus Safety PSA
There are lots of bus safety PSAs available on YouTube. For more engagement, hold a contest for students to create and submit their own. Share the winners on your social media channels!
Social Media Blitz
Use this week to spread messages about the importance of bus safety, for both kids and drivers. Feature your school’s bus drivers and bus riders, and urge everyone to make smart choices to keep them safe on the road.
Driver Safety Education
Lots of parents pick up and drop off their kids at school, and they often encounter school buses along the way. Take advantage of the captive audience in the pickup/drop-off line, and pass out flyers about the correct way to deal with stopped school buses. Your state department of education or transportation likely has materials you can use.
Bus Driver Appreciation
There’s an official School Bus Driver Appreciation Day in April, but don’t wait until then to celebrate them! Invite drivers to have lunch with students (pizza party!) and get to know them better. Or provide free donuts and coffee to start their morning. Find more school bus driver appreciation ideas here.
How do you celebrate National School Bus Safety Week? Come share your ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!
Plus, National Custodian Day is October 2. Here’s how to celebrate!
Dina Dodson is a writer who covers sports, education, and tech. She loves to write about the stories that make her feel like she's living in the future, whether it's using a state-of-the-art virtual reality headset or learning how to code. Her hobbies include lifting heavy things and watching YouTube videos of people lifting heavy things.
