Collaborative Post
School trips are probably something you remember from your own childhood. They were an opportunity to get out of the classroom and do something different for a change. They were an important break in the monotony and gave you a rare taste of freedom.
As parents, though, school trips can sometimes feel like a burden. It’s just easier for kids to remain in the classroom the whole time. You don’t have to worry about buying their gear or apparel.
This post pushes back against this attitude. We take a look at some of the reasons why you might want to actively encourage primary school trips. Check out our reasoning below:
It Improves Learning
Not all students learn well in the classroom. Being stuck in a chair for hours on end, reading textbooks and learning from a chalkboard doesn’t work. (If it did, SAT scores would be higher across the board).
But when kids go out on a school trip, it exposes them to a different kind of stimulation. All of a sudden, they are in a position to learn in multiple ways through all the senses. It’s a completely different experience for them.
Kids, for instance, can engage in practical activities that teach them skills with their hands and bodies. They can also see things with their own eyes, instead of just as pictures in textbooks, making their education more real to them. Children can connect the dots more easily. Geography field trips show kids actual rivers, for instance, letting them see up close and personal how various features, like meanders, form.
It Develops Self-Confidence
Children who experience nothing but cars and classrooms can lack self-confidence and belief. Because they’ve never really tried anything in their lives, they struggle to move forwards powerfully. Instead, they remain sheltered, unwilling to go out into the real world and forge their own path.
School trips change this. They show kids more of the world and help them get more accustomed to traveling. It becomes more “normal” to them, letting them branch out and develop as people. In some cases, it even exposes them to a different culture, which can be a great way to broaden their horizons and get them thinking differently than before.
It Lets Them Put What They Learn Into Practice
Learning French in the classroom is nothing compared to actually going to France and spending a couple of weeks with a family. When you immerse yourself in another culture, it changes your ability to adapt to it completely.
You don’t just learn the syntax and the vocabulary. Instead, kids get a real sense of the environment, too, including how it sounds and feels.
The same is true of sports trips. These are particularly beneficial when they centre around competitions. Kids learn the art of both winning and losing.
It Provides Kids With Lasting Memories
Lastly, school trips provide kids with memories that will last a lifetime. Because they are so out of the ordinary, school trips help grown up kids recount where they were at a particular time of their lives.