Why Getting Kids Out of the Classroom Is One of the Best Things You Can Do for Their Learning

Why Getting Kids Out of the Classroom Is One of the Best Things You Can Do for Their Learning

Thursday July 23 2026

Kids weren’t built to sit still for six hours a day. Teachers know it, parents know it, and now the research backs it up: movement isn’t a break from learning, it’s part of how learning happens. That’s the case for building more active, outdoor experiences into the school year, and it’s exactly why school excursions built around physical activity are worth the bus booking.

The Research Is Clear: Movement Fuels Learning

Active breaks don’t just burn energy, they sharpen focus. Victoria’s Transform-Us! program found students concentrated better and stayed on-task longer after short bursts of classroom-based physical activity. A broader systematic review of school-based active breaks found consistent improvements in classroom behaviour, executive function, and physical fitness across age groups.

Outdoor learning research tells a similar story. A systematic review published via PubMed found nature-based, outdoor learning experiences were linked to better problem-solving, longer attention spans, and stronger academic engagement in school-aged children. Put simply: a day spent moving and exploring outside the classroom can do as much for a student’s brain as it does for their body.

Physical Literacy: A Skill Australian Kids Are Losing

Sport Australia and ACHPER developed the Physical Literacy: Guide for Schools because the evidence pointed to a worrying trend — Australian children’s physical literacy and motor skill competence has been declining, with knock-on effects for lifelong health and wellbeing. Physical literacy isn’t just about sport skills. It builds confidence, coordination, and the motivation to stay active for life.

Schools have limited PE time and packed curriculums. That makes any opportunity to build physical literacy outside the regular timetable genuinely valuable, not a nice-to-have, but a gap worth filling.

Why Excursions Multiply the Benefit

A five-minute energiser between lessons helps. A full day of structured, active learning helps even more. Excursions give students:

  • Extended movement time they simply don’t get in a normal school day
  • Real teamwork: working with classmates outside the usual classroom dynamic
  • A confidence boost from trying new physical challenges in a supportive environment
  • A reset from screens and desks that makes the return to class more focused, not less

For teachers, it’s also a rare chance to see students lead, cooperate, and problem-solve in ways that don’t always show up on a worksheet.

What This Looks Like at AFL Max

AFL Max school excursions are built around this exact idea: Active Fun Learning. Students rotate through interactive games, teamwork challenges, and leadership activities designed for mixed-ability groups. It’s curriculum aligned and tied to PE and wellbeing outcomes.

For time-poor teachers, that means a ready-made, curriculum-aware day out, without the planning load of building an active learning experience from scratch.

Get Your Class Off the Timetable and Into the Action

The research is consistent: kids learn better when they move more. A well-run excursion isn’t a day away from learning — it’s one of the most effective learning days on the calendar.

If you’re planning a sports day, term excursion, or end-of-year reward day, explore AFL Max’s Education programs and give your class a day of Active Fun Learning they’ll remember.

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