At childcare, your child may have the opportunity to participate in excursions and field trips to local sites, like the library or a community garden.
Excursions can play a positive role in supporting early childhood development, helping your child learn important skills. On an excursion, your child can learn new social and academic concepts, discovering new ideas.
Here’s how excursions can help with learning and development in early childhood education!
Experiencing the real world
Excursions are a chance for your child to leave their childcare centre and discover the world around them. On an excursion, your child may be able to visit unique environments and engage with new skills and concepts.
As your child discovers new locations, like farms, gardens, and libraries, they can begin to ask questions about the real world and develop a stronger sense of community. Excursions can provide children with the knowledge they need to participate in new activities and learning programs.
Adding to classroom skills
Children learn a lot at childcare, and excursions can help to further develop classroom skills, promoting school readiness and supporting children’s continued learning beyond centre-based programs.
On an excursion, your child may be able to apply classroom literacy and numeracy skills. They can also practice asking questions, communicating with others, and sharing with their peers. Excursions provide a unique opportunity for children to enhance their existing skills and knowledge and can help children reach their full academic potential.
Following instructions
Following instructions is an important part of childcare, school, and community. Excursions allow children to practice following directions in non-classroom environments. This helps to prepare children for school, work, and other rules-based programs.
On an excursion, children need to listen to their educators and follow important directions, learning about teamwork, communication, safety, and more. By developing their ability to respond to directions, children can become more engaged and effective learners. They can engage with new concepts, ideas, and learning programs.
Developing confidence
Excursions also help to improve children’s confidence, even when they are faced by unfamiliar environments and spaces. This helps children develop a strong sense of identity and can promote belonging and inclusion.
On excursions, children can learn about a range of environments and activities and begin to understand their own role in their community. Children can become familiar with new local spaces and learn to communicate with confidence. These skills are important for promoting ongoing development.
Building social skills
At childcare, children develop important social skills, and excursions can help children improve these further, building friendships and learning communication.
On an excursion, your child may need to cooperate with their peers and educators or use their manners in a real-world context. Children need to rely on their friends and help each other to navigate new environments and tasks. These things play an important role in helping children develop strong social skills.
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