Who can't remember that one eyewitness, that one production site, or that play that left a lasting impression? Be it the song belted out with classmates while running up a mountain, or the group trudging through a place on a rainy day where, twenty years later, the class reunion takes place.
All these places and experiences have one thing in common: they were visited as part of school activities and involved at least some distance from the classroom. They were also special because they weren't part of a conventional lesson. And somehow, they stuck in the memory more than other, much more frequent classroom experiences. But why is that? Is it really just that field trips are "more fun" or "finally show real life"? Incidentally, that's a phrase that no long-serving and dedicated teacher is likely tired of hearing.
In 2025, a meta-meta-analysis published in the German Journal of Sports Medicine on exercise and memory performance yielded surprising results on precisely this topic. The effect size of an educational intervention combined with exercise – for example, during a mountain hike – was 0.85 units instead of the usual 0.4. This means that impressions are processed more effectively when combined with exercise and fresh air.
The study summarized hundreds of individual studies and came to a clear conclusion: Physical activity significantly improves memory, attention and executive functions – more so in children and adolescents than in any other age group.
The underlying mechanism is well-established neurobiologically: learning content that is processed simultaneously through motor and cognitive means it is doubly encoded. It can be retrieved more quickly and reliably from long-term memory. What children experience physically is retained differently than what they read on a worksheet.
The Federal Agency for Civic Education puts it this way: Exercise not only helps to reduce tension – it structurally changes how information is stored.
A class trip with a clear subject focus is not an interruption of learning. If one takes the research seriously, it is one of the most effective forms of teaching.
When students see Ötzi up close at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, touch a submarine at the Deutsches Museum, or observe ecosystems live at Lake Müggelsee – then, simultaneously, movement, emotional activation, social exchange, and subject matter are happening. From a neurobiological perspective, this is a different kind of learning than in the classroom.
However, this requires structure: the trip needs to be organized, with tasks assigned on-site, a reflection sheet to follow, and a clear connection to the curriculum. Without these elements, it remains a pleasant day – with them, it becomes a lesson.
Sources: German Journal of Sports Medicine, Meta-Meta-Analysis on Physical Activity and Cognition, August 2025. Federal Agency for Civic Education, “How Exercise Influences Children’s Development, Learning and Education”, 2024. Forsa Survey, Deutsche Telekom Foundation, March 2026.
