100+ Field Trip Ideas for Families and Friends

Our favorite way to encourage our children to explore the world around them is to schedule field trips that we enjoy as a family. For a little extra fun, invite your friends!

Planning a Field Trip

This part is so fun! Be sure you grab our free printable Field Trip Planning Guide for Families! You can use this guide to plan field trips for groups too, such as your homeschool co-op, your neighborhood, and all your friends!

I like to start by making a list of all the places I can think of that would be fun! To involve your kids, give them a copy of the list and let them choose their favorites! See our comprehensive list here.

Once we have our list, I prefer to use a paper calendar at our family planning meeting to secure some plans. We discuss how many field trips we’d like to schedule in a month and when we can fit them in. Schedules can be tricky to navigate, but if you have just a little flexibility you can typically find a time that works for the place you’ll be visiting and your family’s schedule.

It’s always an added bonus when Daddy gets to come, so we work extra hard to plan our field trips with his schedule in mind.

Now that you have an idea what your family’s schedule looks like, it’s time to contact the sites you’d like to visit.

Tips for Scheduling a Field Trip

Research: Check social media platforms to see if the location you want to visit has a page. Messaging can be a quick and easy way to schedule your visit.
Contact: A quick phone call, a message, or an email to let them know you want to visit is all it takes to get your time scheduled.
Stay Calm and Schedule On: Keep your calendar nearby when you call or write a message. Avoid scheduling anything too close. You don’t want to rush to or through your field trip! Having the paper calendar makes it easy, so I’m not trying to talk on my phone or message and scroll through my calendar at the same time.
Bulk Schedule: If you’re planning multiple field trips, why not block out some time one day to schedule all of them? Then your scheduling is done.

When I’m finished making calls, sending messages, and scheduling all this field trip fun, I take a few minutes to put all of the events into my phone with the address and the name of the person I spoke with on the phone or that I was messaging with for reference, if I need it later. This is also the time I tell my husband when we’re going so he can plan too. Telling my kids when we are going to each place is a highlight in this process for sure! They get so excited and I get to look forward to these fun field trips too!

If you’re inviting friends to join you, now is a great time to let them know too!

How to Prepare for a Field Trip

Clothing: dress for the weather and conditions. Wear comfortable shoes. You may want to bring a hat, hair ties, gloves, a jacket or coat, extra clothing.

Time: give yourself plenty of time to get to the location you’ll be visiting. You don’t want to be late and feeling rushed can really drain the excitement. Give yourself time to enjoy the field trip and be safe too.

Food: everyone gets grumpy when they’re hungry. Especially in the case of sensitivities or allergies, you’ll want to be sure you have packed food and drinks to keep everyone happy.

What to Bring on a Field Trip

Sunscreen

Water bottles

Bug spray

Backpack

Lunch

Snacks

Journal

Camera

Sunglasses

Anything you were told to bring when you scheduled.

Free Printable Field Trip Guide

Everyone loves field trips, but we know that planning can be overwhelming. Not anymore! Grab our free guide and impress your friends and family with your field trip planning skills.

Field Trip Ideas

Print your guide, then take a look at our ideas to fill in your own list. You're going to have so much fun and we are so excited for the adventures you will have!