Preparing For A Field Trip In Kindergarten

Taking a class full of young children on a field trip can be intimidating and overwhelming. What can you do to prepare for this exciting excursion you have planned? Here is a list to help with Preparing For A Field Trip In Kindergarten.

Planning and executing a field trip needs to be thoughtful and intentional. Pre-planning and preparing your little learners is a must for a successful excursion!

Prepare Your Students Before The Field Trip

As an educator, you are probably very much aware that you must be explicit with all of your instructions to your little learners. This includes field trip preparations. If your students know exactly what to expect and how to behave, there will not be as many surprises and unpredictable behaviors.

Make sure your kinders know where they will be going. Have a question and answer session to help alleviate concerns as well as discuss what they will be seeing. This is the time to hand out permission slips or forms for your students to take home.
Discuss why they are going on this field trip and how it relates to school and current topics. Prepare some activities beforehand that coordinate with the field trip. (i.e. Pumpkin patch field trip coordinates with Pumpkin Themed Literacy Activities.)
Show photos or videos of the field trip location if possible. This familiarizes your little learners with the location and scenery.
Explain how they will need to behave. Do they need a partner, grown-up buddy, teacher/helper, or hand holder? What happens if they have meltdown or misbehave? Be explicit. Children thrive on known expectations.
Explain who will be going on trip with the students (parents, teachers, helpers, etc.) and who is their specific grown-up,
Inform students on how they will get there. (Bus, parents driving them, walking, etc.) If taking the bus, make sure bus rules are discussed and understood.