Here’s why field trips are key to your kid’s development

You can’t learn street smarts while confined to a classroom.

A recent survey by OnePoll.com revealed school trips build development skills for children, such as confidence, independence and organization.

“Children need to experience a range of situations and contexts in order to fulfill their developmental needs,” clinical psychologist Angharad Rudkin told The Mirror.

The survey asked 715 parents with children between 5 and 16 years old about the importance of their offspring exploring environments beyond their community accompanied by their teachers.

Results found that 53% worry their youngster’s development will suffer if they rarely venture outside of their local area.

Parents believe their experience from school trips allowed them to gain problem-solving and decision making skills.

“Having a mix of new and familiar places and people optimizes cognitive processes and also contributes to self-confidence and identity,” Rudkin adds.

Nearly half of the parents (44%) say outdoor learning can help to build self-confidence, while 26% learned resilience through overcoming challenges and setbacks.

“Being outside their familiar place gives children the opportunity to see, smell, feel, and hear all sorts of new things, and also to learn to manage by themselves.”

However, not every child has the opportunity to take a trip outside of their city due to financial struggles, but 93% of parents say their children are eager to visit new places.

A UK organization called Parents Get Lost (PGL) launched a Breakthrough Fund offering a range of funding support to schools with parents who need it the most.

PGL CEO Anthony Jones told The Mirror that the fund would “enable children, no matter what their family’s financial situation, a chance to benefit from a residential trip away from home.”

“Whether they are away with family or with school friends, children will learn different ways of thinking and behaving and will be encouraged to do things they may not be expected to do in their usual environment,” Rudkin stated.

“These experiences will have short-term and long-term benefits, and because of the novelty of the situation, will be remembered for many years to come.”

The survey listed key skills parents developed because of their experience away from school: