> Blog: How to Deal With Overnight School Trip Anxiety

School trip anxiety isn’t uncommon. Whether students are anxious about being in a new environment, interacting with people they’re unfamiliar with, or even just being away from home, it can sometimes overwhelm our little learners. At PGL, we want each and every student to enjoy their school trip and make the most of new experiences. 

If you have a child who’s anxious about a school trip, then there’s no need to worry. With a few simple techniques and strategies, you can quell those anxieties and get them excited and ready to enjoy their overnight school trip in no time! So, read on, as we’re on hand to provide a few ways you can make sure those anxious students are fully supported! 

Prepare

When entering into a unique situation, such as being away from home, it can be unsettling and a little daunting to a child. But, sometimes all that is required is a little reassurance and suddenly, everything can seem a lot more fun and exciting! 

If you can prepare them by explaining all the fun activities and the amount of learning they’ll be doing, then it could help reduce their anxiety. Fear of the unknown can often be a key factor in the way children feel, but you can easily avoid this with a clear itinerary of your trip that you can share with them. 

Communicate 

If you notice one of your students looking a little stressed or worried, then it might be worth checking up on them frequently and having a quick chat to check if everything’s okay. Simple communication can sometimes be the answer. Encourage them to speak about their worries and concerns so you can answer their questions. Let them know it’s okay to feel anxious, because being away from family can be overwhelming for so many of them. 

Bring some home comforts 

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with students bringing a little home comfort with them. Whether it’s a teddy, blanket, piece of clothing, or even a photo. It's a great way to remind them of home and provide some comfort, especially at night time! 

Reassure

It’s important to make sure that students feel safe and secure when they’re on their school trip. Children can often overthink that something will go wrong, so by reassuring them with clear rules, guidelines, and what to do in an emergency, it’ll help them feel more confident throughout their trip. 

Distract with fun games and activities

One of the best ways to deal with overnight school trip anxiety is with fun and games! When students are immersed in challenging activities and interesting tasks, all of their worries leave them while they have fun. At PGL, this is easy to do with all of our adventurous activities and packed itinerary. 

Encourage

Encourage your students to get involved with the daily activities. Try and boost their confidence, whether it’s an activity they find challenging or something fun, everyone loves a little boost to make them feel good and valued! Let them know that they’re great and that they’ll make lots of friends! If some of your students have social anxiety, then encourage them to participate in activities, but also encourage other students to make them feel included and help them. This helps to establish a level of comfort amongst pupils and build bonds that will only serve to boost confidence and lessen anxieties.

Be flexible

Flexibility is vital if you have anxious students. If there’s ever a situation where a child feels too overwhelmed, then it’s always good to have a contingency plan in place that is tailored to meet the needs of any individual. Perhaps it could be a slight tweak to the plans that’ll help ease their anxiety, or keep them involved but in a different capacity. Either way, being flexible on a school trip helps you to include all students if there’s anything a few students don’t want to do. 

Reducing anxiety in your students

It’s important to try and reduce anxiety in your students when on an overnight school trip so everyone has the same fun and enjoyable experience. Inclusivity is a big part of learning, and it’s essential that all students can take part in the learning activities not just in the classroom, but on school trips too. 

Whatever their anxieties are, you can help build students' confidence so they can enjoy their school trip experience with these methods of reducing anxiety. At PGL, we want all students to feel confident and happy when they’re staying with us!

Book your overnight school trip today!

Our residential school trips offer pupils a fun-filled adventure with fantastic activities and constant entertainment. And they are perfect for developing teamwork skills and building new friendships while, most importantly, having a blast! All of our challenges encourage students to communicate with each other, so you know your class relationships will just get stronger and stronger!

If you’re unsure about what or where you want to book and are looking for some school trip ideas, then contact us to see if our centres offer what you need! 

At PGL, we have an expansive range of trips, locations and activities to enjoy, so get in touch today to discuss your next school trip.