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Day out prep sheet: know what to expect before you go
A free printable sheet to fill in with your child before a visit to a museum, castle, farm, zoo, park, theatre or café. It’s for children who like to know what’s coming. There’s where we’re going, what we’ll see, where the toilets and the quiet spot are, things that might be a lot, a simple plan for the day and a feelings check-in. Pick the younger or older version and the kind of place, add a name, and print one page or the whole pack.
How to use it
1Fill it in togetherSit down with your child a few days before the visit. Talk it through, and let them draw, tick and circle.
2Look at photos firstMost places have photos on their website. Look at them together and print a few to stick in the boxes.
3Ask about quiet timesRing ahead or check the website for the quieter times of day, and for any quiet spaces you could use.
4Keep the plan flexibleThe plan is a guide, not a promise. If you need to skip a part or leave early, that’s fine.
5Take it with youFold it into a bag or a plastic wallet. It helps to look at the plan and the meeting point again on the day.
What’s in the pack
- Where we’re goingThe place, the date, who’s coming, how we’ll get there and a photo of the way in.
- What we’ll seeBoxes to stick in photos or draw the main spaces, with a caption for each.
- Good to knowThe toilets, the quiet spot, where we’ll eat, a meeting point and what to bring.
- Things that might be a lotNoise, crowds, queues and more, with a tick and a “what we can do” line.
- Our plan for the dayA picture timetable from leaving home to going home, with a quiet break built in.
- How I feelA check-in before and after the visit, with faces to circle or a scale of 1 to 5.
Make a sheet
Pick a page or the whole pack, the younger or older version and the kind of place. Add your child’s name and the place if you like, then print.
Tips for parents
- Let your child choose one thing to look forward to. One animal, one room or one treat gives the day a fixed point. Write it on the sheet so it doesn’t get forgotten.
- Agree a signal for “I need a break”. A word, a hand sign or a card they can show you. Practise it at home first, and write it on the sheet.
- Plan the quiet break in. Put it in the plan for the day rather than waiting until it’s needed. Then a few calm minutes on a bench or in the car is just part of the day, not a sign that something’s gone wrong.
- Keep the meeting point simple. Choose somewhere easy to see, like the main entrance or the café, and point it out together when you arrive.
- Talk about it afterwards. Use the How I feel page when you get home. Start with what went well, then think about what might help next time.
Visiting with Weekday Wanderers
Our sister site Weekday Wanderers lists family days out, starting with Oxfordshire. Find a place to visit there, then come back here to make a prep sheet for it.
Questions parents ask
- Who is the day out prep sheet for?
- Any child aged about 3 to 11 who likes to know what’s coming, or who finds new or busy places a lot. The younger version (ages 3 to 7) is mostly pictures, ticks and faces. The older version (ages 7 to 11) has more to write, times on the plan and a scale of 1 to 5.
- When should we fill it in?
- A few days before the visit works well. There’s time to look at photos, print a few and talk about the plan without rushing. Some children like to look at it again the night before and take it with them on the day.
- What if we don’t know where the toilets or the quiet spot are?
- Many places show them on a map on their website, or you can ring and ask. If you can’t find out, leave the line blank and fill it in together when you arrive. Finding them early in the visit is a good first job.
- What if the day doesn’t go to plan?
- That’s fine. The plan is there to help, not to stick to whatever happens. You can skip a step, swap things round or go home early. Afterwards, the How I feel page is a gentle way to talk about what was hard and what helped.
- Does the kind of place change the sheet?
- Yes. Choose museum, castle, farm, zoo, park, or theatre or cinema to get pictures and ideas that suit it, such as glass cases at a museum, or animal smells and mud at a farm. For anywhere else, like a café, a shop or a family party, choose Any place.