By Shannon at the Southern Schoolhouse
If you are a teacher preparing for field day, your role is super important in making sure things are organized and ensuring students are safe while having fun. Below you will find some tips to be able to do this as well as survive during field day.
Be Prepared and Organized
Plan Ahead:
- Know the schedule for the day.
- Have the form of the events the students will participate in completed.
- Be aware of times and locations for the events your class will participate in.
- Provide expectations for the students before the day of field day.
- Make sure the students know what is expected of them when they are outside.
- Inform the parents of the events of the day and make a list of volunteers available, if needed.
- Send a list of items the students will need, in advance
- Towel
- Change of clothes (if water is involved) including undergarments
- A change of shoes
- Sunscreen
- Snack and water bottle (if not available)
At our school, we are provided with a spreadsheet of all of the events and the students are able to sign up for 3 events. Before the day, I would provide the students with labels. They would write their three events on their label so they could stick this to their shirt as a reminder that day. When the event was called, they were ready to go.
Materials ready:
- Clipboard with the events spreadsheet, parent contact list and pen
- A sling bag which included some first aid items, a sharpie to write on the ribbons
- Sunscreen
- Ziplock bag (for the ribbons)
- Folding Chair
- Water bottle for hydration
Stay calm and provide a positive experience
Field trips and field day or anything different from the normal routine can cause students to be anxious and more energetic. This can also be the same for teachers. Your calmness and positive attitude can make the day run smoother.
Some students get anxious about field day. Competitiveness is not always fun for everyone. The goal is to have fun while encouraging one another and working together as a team.
Delegate Responsibilities
Your role as the teacher is to make sure the kids are staying safe while having fun.
Every school’s field day is different but one role I delegated to a couple parents was to write on the back of the ribbons. All students are participating in 3 events and if you are busy writing on ribbons, you are unable to monitor the students.
Know who your responsible leaders are in the class in case a student needs to go inside or something needs to be obtained from the classroom.
Be Flexible
You can never predict the last minute changes that could take place. The weather may not cooperate or a part of field day may take longer and the students are late getting lunch.
Expect something to change or be adjusted. Stay calm and provide the students with an update and set the expectations for what things will look like because of this change.
Take Breaks and Hydration Time
Build in time during the fun but exhausting day. Make sure you stay hydrated, reapply sunscreen and take bathroom breaks when needed. Our field day is in May in NC, so it can get hot as the day goes on. Have a plan in place such as coordinating break times with your grade level teachers beforehand. You are going to need to have some energy left once the events are complete and you have to transition back to class.
Post Field Day Plan
This was always a stressful time and over the years, I had to reflect and revise my plan for getting everyone ready to go home. Again, talk with the students the day before about what the end of the day will look like and what the procedures will be for getting changed and making sure everyone has their items together to go home.
At the start of the day, I made sure everyone had a bag to put wet clothes and towels in. This made it easier when changing to make sure everything got into that bag. Depending on time, I set a two or three student rotation system for changing based on the remaining time. The others would relax in the classroom with an educational program to decompress and relax from the day.
Make sure the students know how you feel the day went. Praise the students for expectations that were followed during this fun but different routine day. For you the teacher, take some time when you get home to relax and recuperate from the day.
