Field trips
Babies and young toddlers
You might be surprised at how much your wee one is picking up as you guide him through each field trip!
Infants
From birth to one year of age, your infant is simply observing the world around him, including you!
For the best learning experience, your field trips should be sensory. Let your infant hear, see, touch, smell, and taste (within reason) during every experience. Talk to him, too, as if he understands everything you're saying. He's understanding much more than you think!
Finally, know that your efforts will pay off handsomely. Showing him the world while you build essential background knowledge and sensory development with every field trip will be critical to his future brain development.
Younger toddlers
Between one and two and a half years of age, your toddler will begin to imitate you even as he continues to observe the world around him.
Continue allowing him to hear, see, touch, smell, and taste during every possible experience, and talk to him as if he understands everything you're saying.
Now add a few steps: begin asking your toddler lots of questions, and help him answer them. Help him focus his attention on details he might not have seen before, even on field trips he has taken before. Begin to point out instances of print (signs, menus, and the like) as you guide him through each excursion, and "read" the print together as much as possible.
Again, know that you're helping build essential background knowledge and sensory development with every field trip, both of which will be critical to his future brain development!