How to Incorporate
Community Outings into Academics
As a Special Education teacher working with high school and transition students, I’ve found that some of the most meaningful learning happens outside of the classroom.
Community outings give students the chance to practice real-life skills in a way that textbooks just can’t replicate.
Over the years, I’ve seen students go from shy and unsure to confident and independent, all thanks to these experiences. But like anything in special education, these outings take careful planning to be truly effective.
Here’s why I believe community outings are so important—and how you can incorporate them into your academics. We’ll also talk about what you can do to extend the learning before, during, and after the trip with activities that tie everything together.
Why Community Outings Are Important
The skills we teach in the classroom—reading, math, social skills—are important. But it’s out in the community where your students can apply those skills in real-world settings.
For example, when we visit a pharmacy, students aren’t just learning about medicine and products. They’re also learning how to navigate the aisles, find what they need, and ask for help when they’re confused.
These outings help students build confidence and independence, which is what we’re aiming for, especially in a transition program.
Whether it’s calculating the cost of groceries, ordering food, or understanding social cues at a movie theater, these moments are helpful for their growth as they transition into adulthood.
Incorporating Community Outings into Academics
Community outings aren’t just simply field trips that we do for a change of environment or for fun. They’re perfect opportunities for extended learning. But how do we make the most out of them?
I’m a big believer in not just “going on a trip” but fully integrating it into the learning process. That means preparing my students before we leave, having meaningful tasks for them to complete during the trip, and reflecting on the experience afterward.
Let me share with you a system that works well for me. I included some specific examples to make things easier for you!
Prep Work Before the Trip
Preparation is key, especially with students who may feel anxious or unsure about new environments. And it starts in the classroom. Get your students ready for the trip with activities that build on the skills they’ll use!
Learn about the Location
Whether you’re going to a supermarket or a sit-down restaurant, you have to start by introducing the location in the classroom. Here are some things you can do:
- Show pictures, videos, and even use Google Maps to “walk” through the place virtually.
- Have your students check the store’s hours of operation and store policies.
- Look up reviews to get a sense of what to expect.
- Learn about the place using comprehension worksheets.
- If your students are learning about geography or map navigation, have them use a map to figure out the location, how long it will take to get there, and the directions.
- Teach your students about the place using reading and vocabulary activities.
- Practice what they’ll do once they’re in the place using role-play.
When your students know more about the place, they will feel more comfortable visiting it.
Plan for the Trip
Once your students are familiar with the location, you can move on to planning for the trip. This involves a lot more than just deciding what to buy. You’ll also prepare for things like budgeting, transportation, and safety, which are all key parts of the experience.
Practice money math skills by doing a budgeting activity! If you’re going to a place where the students will be buying something like a mall or fast food restaurant, work on a spending plan beforehand (Check out this Community Trip Spending Plan Activity!). For example, they might have $10 to spend at a gift shop, and they can practice figuring out what they can afford and how much change they should get.
As for transportation, make sure to discuss how you’ll be getting to the location beforehand. Whether it’s by bus, subway, or walking, this is a great way to teach travel and transportation skills like bus schedules, reading maps, or following street signs.
Lastly, keeping your students safe during the community outing is top priority. Talk about safety rules before any trip. You can create a safety checklist of the rules, like staying with the group, crossing streets safely, and asking for help if they are lost.
Hands-On Learning During the Trip
Once you’re out in the community, remember to give your students as much independence as possible while still making sure that there’s structured learning. Here are some things you can do:
- Math Skills
When you’re at a sit-down restaurant, ask your students to calculate their total and check if they have enough money. Do I have enough for a drink? Will I get change? This turns into a great money math lesson!
- Social Skills
During outings, encourage your students to practice their communication skills. Whether it’s ordering food or asking where an item is located, these interactions build confidence and improve their social skills. Even things as simple as waiting in line is a social skill practice!
Scavenger Hunt
Why not make your community outing more fun with a little challenge? Give your students a scavenger hunt list to find items. For example, at the grocery store, they might have to locate an item that costs under $5 or find the aisle where they sell bread.
Even if you cannot head off campus for real, you can still do this activity! Have students navigate to the store website, “search” the store for the items, then write their answers on the scavenger hunt page.
Other ONLINE Activity Ideas:
- Find the Best Deal – Give students a list of items and have them compare prices across different online retailers (e.g., Walmart, Target, Amazon).
- Coupons & Discounts Hunt – Have students search for coupon codes, sales, or promotions to find the best possible deal on a product.
- Budget Challenge – Assign a set budget and a shopping list, and students must shop online to stay within their budget while getting all items.
- Virtual Storefronts – Use store websites (Walmart, Walgreens, etc.) and have students locate specific departments, return policies, or contact information.
- Local Business Hunt – Have students look up different businesses in their community using Google Maps, then find their hours, phone number & address.
- Restaurant Menu Search – Ask students to find menu prices and meal options from different restaurant websites.
Reflecting and Reinforcing after the Trip
The learning doesn’t stop once you get back to school. After every trip, give your students activities that will help them reflect on their experience and reinforce what they’ve learned.
An easy way to do this is by providing comprehension worksheets where your students answer questions about what they saw, did, or learned. This could be something trivial like “What did you buy at the garden store?” or “What was the most expensive food you remember seeing in the menu?”
You can also do a group discussion and talk about what went well during the trip, or what was challenging for them. This reflection helps your students think critically about their experience and prepares hem for future outings!
With the right preparation, support, and reflection, community outings can help your students learn functional academic skills they’ll carry into adulthood.
If you’re looking to make your next outing even easier, check out my MEGA Life Skills Bundle—It’s been my go-to for no prep materials that cover everything from reading passages about the places we visit, to scavenger hunts and money math worksheets.
Having this on hand means I don’t need to start from scratch every time we’re going on a community trip!
