What is the difference between to, toward and towards

Is there really a difference between to, toward and towards? Well, the three of them are all prepositions of direction. They are all used with verbs that show movement.

First, let me say something regarding toward and towards. Actually, besides their spelling and of course pronunciation, they are the same. Though "toward " is common in American English while "towards" is considered British English, they mean the same. Some even suggest they are interchangeable.

However, in formal writing or speaking, toward and towards should not be used together. The point here is consistency. Once you started using toward, don't use towards anymore or vise versa.

Now, let's try to compare to with toward/towards. 

The children are walking to school.

The children are walking toward the school.

In the first sentence, the school is the very place the children are going to. However, in the next sentence, the children are said to be just walking toward the direction where the school is.

Additional examples:

The campers are moving towards North. (not to North)

Here, to is not correct. You cannot reach North, but can move towards that direction.

Conclusion:
We must bear in mind that "to" conveys the idea of movement towards a specific destination, while "toward/s" is used to convey movement in a general direction that may not reach a specific destination.