Spring is approaching, buy and even if you’ve been able to enjoy activity outdoors this winter, your kids might be aching to get outside. You might want some out-of-the-house time, too! Enter field trips.

Most of us love field trips—opportunities to explore something new, apply knowledge in a hands-on or real-world situation, seek new perspectives, and have some fun.

Remember you might have been “cramped” indoors for a while now. What if you could combine both fitness and field trips?

Finding Active Options

Finding field trip ideas usually isn’t a problem, is it? We can make a field trip out of almost any excursion. Active options aren’t too difficult to pinpoint, either. Look for a field trip that:

-includes everyone involved,

-incorporates at least 15 minutes of activity,

-integrates movement with learning, and

-involves multiple large muscle groups for adding fitness boosts.

A few active ideas:

• Explore a new park every week or month during a warm season.
• Go disc golfing or geocaching.
• Hike a new trail.
• If your kids are older, try backpacking.
• Explore a working farm.
• Take a walking tour of a historic city.
• Go to a play-based children’s museum.
• Visit a pick-your-own orchard or fruit farm.

Adding Activity in On Your Own

What if you’re heading to the art museum or theatre for a play? How do you add activity to a someplace needing toned-down movement? Some options:

• Schedule active breaks in between sights and activities. Include active sight word games or racing quiz relays.
• Act out a scene from history or a procedure (for example, an assembly line). Include large muscle movements, and exaggerate the actions to create more movement and more exercise.
• Wait until later. Granted that means you might not be participating in activity during the field trip, but you or your kids can create an active game later to reinforce the material learned.

Movement increases likelihood of learning. Incorporate movement to create even more lasting memories of fun field trips together.

 

What kinds of active field trips have you taken with your family? Which field trips do you want to do?