Friday will mark the 20^th anniversary of national Walk Safely to School Day, which encourages parents and pupils to participate in a day walking to school, instead of driving.

Tasmania Police constable Tarnya Frost spent the morning on Tuesday at Newstead Christian School to encourage its junior pupils to participate on the day.

"We are always encouraging children to be active and to be aware of their own safety if they are walking to school," Constable Frost said.

Newstead Christian School principal Diane Hooley said the school was encouraging its school community to get involved, with office manager Rebekah Madden organising a fruit stall for those who walk.

"We are trying to challenge our parents to get involved, even if that means parking a few blocks away and walking in with their kids," she said.

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Mrs Madden said it coincided with the day all pupils have daily PE, so they would also be going for a walk as part of that class.

Walk safety to school day is an annual national event that encourages all primary school pupils to walk and commute safely to school.

It is a community event seeking to promote road safety, health, public transport and the environment.

Ms Hooley said Newstead Christian school promoted physical activity as part of its ethos but she had also seen a decline in the number of students overall who walked to school regularly.

"A lot of families live too far away to walk, and parents don't have the same amount of time," she said.

However, she said she wanted to encourage as many people as possible to participate, which could be in a variety of ways.

Walk safely to school day encourages parents and kids to build regular walking into their daily routine.

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