Your center’s policy for field trips can be included in the enrollment application package. Details may vary from one facility to another.
- Some centers choose to provide snacks while others require parents or guardians to send a lunch or snack with the child.
- Parent volunteers may be asked to accompany staff on the field trip.
- Students may be required to gather at the site of the field trip rather than be transported from the child care center.
Plan a field trip as a group activity
Teachers and parents can provide opportunities for kids to build teamwork and social skills as they plan and prepare together for a special outing.
As the excitement starts to build in the days leading up to the eventful day, involve kids in the planning and preparation. You’ll being acknowledging their anticipation, and extending the learning opportunities.
Here is a simple document to plan and schedule a field trip.
Here are steps teachers and students can take together.
- Kids can participate in the planning by suggesting places to visit and necessary items to take along, as well as how to safely travel to the destination – by foot or by vehicle.
- Make lists or charts and involve kids with checking off requirements and preparations as they are completed during the planning period.
- Discuss together what you expect to see or do on the outing. Make a collage with words and pictures.
- After the field trip, follow up by reviewing together what was anticipated compared with what actually occurred.
Fun on a field trip with preschoolers
A field trip is a great addition to your early learning curriculum. And planning a healthy outing is beneficial to everyone. Be sure to add a generous amount of anticipation to the agenda as you plan.
A field trip can include everything from spotting birds on a nature walk, to mooing with the cows at a local dairy farm.
Do you have hats and sunscreen?
Should you take rain coats, just in case?
Happy trails!
More options for field trips:
- frugal family field trips from Ben and Me
- top 10 easy summer field trips from Creative Family Fun.
Virtual field trips from Kid World Citizen
Visit our Outdoor Play Pinterest board for more ways to play outside the home or classroom!