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As homeschool families, we often have places we visit year after year with our kids. Our kids expect to visit x, y, or z because, well, we do every year. Or we may be going on a new homeschool field trip with a group, and we want to keep the kids engaged. Don’t worry because I’ve got you covered with some homeschool field trip activities.

You can easily make the same old homeschool field trip into something new and fun! Plus, you can keep your kids engaged on the trip instead of them running around screaming like a bunch of banshees (or bored out of their minds).

Now, I say homeschool field trips. However, even if you aren’t a homeschool family, these are fun field trip activities to do on any outing with kids.

Adding Fun to Homeschool Field Trips

Many kids love rituals and traditions. These kiddos don’t mind visiting the same place year after year because they like the familiarity; they like knowing what to expect. However, even though kids may like visiting certain places, they may get a little bored, want to run through it quickly, or not really pay attention. That’s to be expected. Though, you can add in something new that will make the field trips fresh and fun. Here are some field trip activities to give a try.

Homeschool Field Trip Activity #1- Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is one way to add some fun to a field trip to make it fresh. Kids love scavenger hunts. Plus, it keeps them engaged and on the lookout for the items on their list.

Some places you visit may have scavenger hunts, but they are easy to make if they don’t. You can make it by looking at a map of the place you are visiting (or from your memory from past visits) and picking a few items for your kiddos to find. Don’t put the items in order. Make sure to mix up the items. When you do so, kids need to pay attention.

Just recently, our 4-H group was visiting a living history site. My kids had been several times, and some of the other children had also just been. So, I created a scavenger hunt. I had mixed ages, so I used pictures and words. The kids had a blast. As the kids found the items, I would share information about that stop on our trip.

The kids that had been there before knew where the items were going to be. However, there was a lot of excitement as we got closer to the areas, so they could cross it off.

Field Trip Activity #2- Tour Guides

Another fun way to keep kids engaged on a homeschool field trip is to let your kids act as tour guides. Give your kids the map of the place and let them lead the way. If you have several children, let them each take different sections. Then, your kiddos lead the field trip and can even share the information they know at various stops along the way.

Homeschool Field Trip Activity #3- Information Sheet

Now, this field trip activity is like a scavenger hunt. However, this time kids are searching for information. This activity is excellent for historic sites, museums, and zoos. You can create a list of facts or important information that kids need to find along the way. You can do these two ways:

1. You provide the information, and the kids check it off as they find it.  
2. You give a series of questions that kids need to find the answers to.

So, at different points in your field trip, the kids need to stop and fill in their sheets.

For example, on our recent trip to a local wildlife park, I could have listed various questions about the animals that the kids needed to find information on our outing.

Field Trip Activity #4- Photos and Video

Kids will love this activity. Here, kids can be the photographer or videographer for your trip. What kid wouldn’t love doing this?!

Here are some images kids took of our recent trip to a wildlife park. They had fun taking photos and videos. One little girl even gave some information while filming some of her videos.

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If you want to take it a step further, you can use these pictures and videos in several ways:

1. Make a scrapbook/memory page with captions on each image.
2. Create a slideshow or video of your trip to share with others.
3. Make a Glog of your trip. A Glog is a really cool way to make multimedia posters (the site is Glogster). You can add pictures, videos, and written text about your trip. It is a fun way for kids to share their trip. Plus, you can send the link for others to view.
4. Create a pamphlet or video like those aimed at tourists. It helps highlight the exciting features to try and entice people to visit.

Homeschool Field Trip Activity #5- A to Z List

This is a super simple activity that requires very little prep. All you need to do is give kids a paper and pencil, and you are all set to go. If you’d like, you can make a sheet with A to Z running down the left-hand side of the paper.

In this activity, kiddos keep a lookout for items for each letter of the alphabet. Of course, you can use this on many different field trips, but it works really well for keeping kids engaged during a hike. Now, kids might not find something for every letter of the alphabet, but that’s okay. It keeps them engaged and exploring.

Field Trip Activity #6- Your Senses

This last homeschool field trip activity is better for some trips than others. It works really well on walks/hikes with kids.

The Senses activity helps kids be mindful and take things in. Kids stop and look, listen, smell, and feel things around them. Using the sense of taste might not work too well.

So for this activity, you can do it orally or have the kids make a list.

How does it work?

As you walk along, stop and have the kids use one sense for 30 seconds to a minute. After the time is up, they can either tell you or write down what they took in.

For instance, you can call out stop. When the kids stop, you can say, “Close your eyes. Pay attention to what you hear.” After a set time, have kids share what they heard or write/draw it on their paper. Repeat this for the different senses.

Homeschool Field Trips and Family Trips

So, all these great homeschool field trip activities can also be used with group field trips and regular family adventures. So even if you aren’t a homeschool family, these activities can be used on any trip with your kiddos.  All of these ideas keep your kids engaged and help your kids get even more out of their field trips. Plus, if they’ve done this trip a few times, it adds something new for them to do.

Now, as you plan your next field trip, pick one of the ideas to help make your trip even more fun for the kids. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Homeschooling!