DD too young for school trip at 4?

[CocoSims]

Our schools organised a school trip for the reception kids this week. It’s a 2 hour coach trip and full day at the seaside. There are a couple of parents going to help out.

Normally I’d be fine with this but my DD is the youngest in the school and it shows, she’s not at all streetwise and I’ve been told they’ll be holding a friends hand which she’s not very good at, her heads always in the clouds.

Shall I just be honest with the school? What are your views on kids going at this age? I understand not all kids have the chance to do these things so I get it but she seems really young right now.

I do have a nearly 8 year old who does loads so I know it’s not a general issue I have with letting my kids do stuff.

old enough to go to school but not old enough to go on a professionally planned day trip?
your insecurities are showing, the child will be fine.

(teacher who says that a child of 4 years old is ‘nearly 5mm, isn’t in the right job, IMO. *
Really? The child is in reception. They have to be approaching 5 at this time of year, or they'd still be in nursery class.

They’ll be fine! They’ll have a lovely time and come back shattered!

I did loads of trips with DD when she was in primary, and also loads of trips with other classes too, some at ~30mins notice. (Not many SAHP with no younger siblings).

I agree, you definitely don't want to be in same group as your child. It means they get the 'independent' experience and you can focus fairly on your own group.

Trips are risk assessed to an inch of their lives.
There is loads of headcounting.
For younger age group you get up to 6 children.
The young ones stick close to their adult (it is y3/y4 you have to watch for wandering off).

Whenever walking around I had one in each hand (the least confident or least sensible) and the other 4 in 2 pairs just ahead of me so they were in sight at all times.

I always started the day telling my group that at the end I wanted to tell their teacher they were the best behaved group ever.

Trips are fun but exhausting, you are on alert the whole time.

Only had one which was a bit of a nightmare, Stonehenge & Andover(?) iron age museum on the same day, in the rain with y4. It was like herding cats.

(2rs each way for Reception to the beach in this heat with covid precautions too sounds like a nightmare. Not sure I'd have been keen on DD doing it either.)

I wouldn't have been happy with that when mine were just 4. In reception they did weekly 'adventures' to local places with lots of parent helpers. The longest journey was probably about half an hour and they were all half days building up to a whole day out in the summer. By that time kids and parents were fully confident with the trips. The trip for your DC sounds quite overwhelming for a first school trip! Do what your gut instinct tells you.

@Killahangilion

A teacher who says that a child of 4 years old is ‘nearly 5mm, isn’t in the right job, IMO.

There’s no way I’d let my child go on a school trip to the seaside at that age. When I took young D.C. to the seaside, I’d be watching them constantly on a 1:1 basis.

Yes the teachers are trained, but there’s not enough of them to supervise the whole group and you’ve no idea how vigilant the other volunteer parents will be.

Why?! They are nearly 5!