How to Use Five-Minute Field Trips to Help Kids Regulate, Re-Focus, and Re-Energize

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Show Notes:

There’s a whole world out there for your students to explore and learn about, but not always enough time or money to make it happen. With a little imagination, however, you can create shared experiences that open their eyes to new places and possibilities in just a matter of minutes. By implementing five-minute field trips in your classroom, the walls seem to disappear, and the world becomes your students’ playground.

If you’re anything like me, you love to take a step back during the summer months to reflect on the past year and brainstorm creative, effective strategies for your students. One strategy that has been a game-changer for me is the five-minute field trip. In today’s episode, I revisit this special technique—explaining what it is, when to use it, and how it helps students become regulated, refocused, and reenergized.

Simply put, five-minute field trips are guided visualizations that allow students to mentally escape the classroom and experience a different world through imagination. What I love most is that they aren’t experiencing this through a screen, but through their own minds. In today’s screen-heavy world, students often miss out on opportunities to truly use their imagination. Five-minute field trips help fill that gap, enabling them to picture new experiences through the power of your words.

Because this strategy only takes a few minutes, it’s easy to incorporate throughout the day—especially during transitions or after high-energy activities. Five-minute field trips can help reduce stress, create a moment of calm and clarity, and give students a chance to refocus their energy. I've used this technique in many different ways, which I share in the episode, including a live example so you can experience just how calming and effective it can be.

Tapping into your creative side during summer break is a great way to develop engaging strategies that make a real impact on your students and classroom community. Five-minute field trips are one of those strategies you’ll want to keep in your toolkit. They encourage imagination, support emotional regulation, and introduce students to new experiences and a world they may have only dreamed about. If you're ready to get started with this in your classroom, join us in The Classroom Management Club, where I'll share a new five-minute field trip recording every month of the school year!

 Inside this week's show, you'll learn:

• How five-minute field trips help students become regulated, refocused, and reenergized.
• Why encouraging student imagination provides opportunities for creativity, mental engagement, and use of the five senses.
• A live example of how to incorporate five-minute field trips into your classroom so you can experience their effectiveness firsthand.
• Ideas for expanding this strategy through student writing projects and class discussions about their imagined experiences.

Links & resources mentioned inside this episode: 

• Beginning Teacher Talk on YouTube
• Grab a copy of my book, Dear New Teacher, Here's Exactly What to Do: Your 5-Step R.E.A.D.Y. for School Roadmap for Elementary Classrooms
• Lung Cancer Free: One Couple’s Journey Through a “Lungs in a Box” Double Lung Transplant.
• Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card by leaving a review for Beginning Teacher Talk on Apple Podcasts!
• Follow Dr. Lori on Instagram
• Follow Dr. Lori on Facebook
• Follow Beginning Teacher Talk on TikTok

I hope this information is helpful as you prepare for your first, second, or third year of teaching. Until next time, remember, just because you're a beginning elementary teacher, there's no need for you to struggle like one.

💛 Lori

Dr. Lori Friesen | Beginning Teacher Mentor

Creator of the R.E.A.D.Y. for School Academy and The Classroom Management Club, Dr. Lori Friesen has mentored thousands of beginning teachers across the country through her workshops and courses. Host of the popular podcast Beginning Teacher Talk and author of Dear New Teacher, Here's Exactly What to Do, Dr. Lori is dedicated to serving educators and inspiring learners. Learn more at drlorifriesen.com.

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Related episodes you might enjoy:

• 12 Transition Ideas: Save Time Moving Between Activities & When Lining Up
• Infusing Imagination into Your Teaching
• How to Prepare for Field Trips: The Elementary Teacher's Guide

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