How to Plan a Preschool Field Trip

Extend Kids' Learning Experiences Outside of the Classroom

Nov 16, 2008 Charlina Stewart

Planning field trips can be a great way to give children hands-on opportunities that breathe life into their preschool lesson plans and activities.

Extending kids’ learning experiences outside of the classroom enables them to get concrete experiences that can enhance their understanding of the world around them. In order for preschool field trips to be successful, they need to be meticulously planned; otherwise these fun outings can become dangerous and chaotic.

Decide on a Field Trip Destination

Choose child-friendly places where kids are allowed to touch and explore some of the things they see. Children’s museums, zoos, parks, and aquariums are all fantastic places to take a bunch of busy preschoolers.

Visit the site ahead of time to scope out restrooms, rest areas, entrances and exits. Doing a pre-visit inspection will also help determine what provisions will be needed to accommodate any special needs children in the class. Most venues have to prepare for large groups of children – so be courteous and call the destination in advance with the date and time of the preschool class’s anticipated arrival.

Decide on Mode Transportation

Will the children be transported by van, bus or car? Check with your insurance carrier to discuss liability issues. Also, the mode of transportation used should comfortably accommodate car and booster seats for all of the preschoolers attending the field trip.

Get Signed and Dated Permission Slips from Parents

Permission slips should be passed out one to two weeks before the date of the field trip. This gives parents enough time to read over the information and cover any expenses associated with the trip.

The permission slip should list the place of destination, cost of field trip, time of departure, and anticipated time of return. There should also be information about what the kids should wear. It’s advisable for all of the preschoolers to dress in brightly colored shirts with the name and telephone number of the childcare center or school displayed on them – this will make it easy for someone to identify children if they get separated from the group.

Parents are busier than ever and things often slip their minds, so don’t be afraid to give friendly reminders about the importance of returning the signed and dated permission forms for their kids' field trip. Field trip reminders can also be posted on the bulletin board inside of the classroom.

Recruit Parent Volunteers to Chaperone

Having a few responsible adult chaperones can enhance the safety of the children and minimize the risk of chaotic situations. Each chaperone should be assigned a small group of children to be responsible for throughout the duration of the field trip.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

The emergency kit should contain an extra change of clothes, cleansing pads, sanitizing hand wipes, a cell phone, important medical information, emergency contact numbers, bandages, and gauge.

Do a Continuous Head Count

Youngsters are prone to wandering – so never move from one location to another without accounting for all of them. Even if the class stays in the same location, periodic head counts should be conducted to make sure none of the kids managed to slip away.

If preschool field trips are carefully planned and properly executed, they can be an exciting way to extend early childhood lessons beyond the classroom.

The copyright of the article How to Plan a Preschool Field Trip in Day Care is owned by Charlina Stewart. Permission to republish How to Plan a Preschool Field Trip in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Field Trip Transportation