Forest School in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is an incredible way to support curiosity, confidence, communication and physical development. Young children learn best through hands-on exploration, movement, play and sensory-rich experiences — and Forest School provides exactly that.

If you’re an EYFS teacher, practitioner, childminder or parent looking for easy Forest School activities for EYFS, this guide gives you 20 simple, low-prep and engaging ideas you can use in any outdoor space.

For more EYFS outdoor ideas, explore our full resource library here:
https://themuddypuddleteacher.co.uk/category/outdoor-learning-resources/

What Makes a Good EYFS Forest School Activity?

Before diving into the activities, it helps to remember what makes Forest School so powerful for younger children:

Child-led exploration
Hands-on, sensory experiences
Opportunities for safe risk-taking
Connection with the natural world
Repetition through seasonal cycles
Developing independence and resilience

All the activities below align with these principles — and are designed to be simple enough for busy teachers and settings.

20 Forest School Activities for EYFS

1. Mud Kitchen Potions

Provide leaves, mud, petals and water. Let children mix, stir and pour to create “forest potions”. Great for fine motor skills and imaginative play.

2. Mini Beast Hunt

Give children magnifiers or bug viewers and see what creatures they can find under logs and stones. Supports observation, early science and care for living things.

3. Leaf Crown Making

Make simple crowns from card strips and glue on leaves, seeds and petals collected from the ground.

4. Stick Sorting

Sort sticks by length, thickness or shape. Encourages early maths and comparison language.

5. Nature Faces

Use clay or mud as a base stuck to trees, then add natural materials to create expressive faces.

6. Sensory Walk

Barefoot if safe — or create sensory trays with water, mud, leaves, pinecones and stones. Encourages language and sensory regulation.

7. Mini Den Building

Give EYFS-friendly materials (sticks, tarps, crates) and let children construct small dens for themselves or their toys.

8. Forest Story Time

Choose a woodland-themed book and read under a tree canopy for a magical shared experience.

9. Bark Rubbings

Provide crayons and paper to explore tree textures, patterns and shapes.

10. Journey Sticks

Wrap a wool string around a stick and add natural treasures in order as children walk. Perfect for storytelling and memory.

11. Flower and Leaf Colour Hunt

Ask children to find natural items in each colour of the rainbow (only those already fallen).

12. Mini Campfire Circle (No Fire)

Use stones or sticks to create a pretend fire circle. Role-play, sing and talk about fire safety.

13. Stick Counting Games

Use sticks as natural counters to practise number bonds, ordering and simple addition.

14. Bug Hotel Building

Gather sticks, leaves, moss and bamboo to build simple bug shelters.

15. Nature Paintbrushes

Tie leaves, grasses or pine branches to sticks and paint with mud or water.

16. Listening Walk

Stop and notice outdoor sounds — birds, wind, rustling leaves. Supports attention and mindfulness.

17. Seed Bomb Making

Mix soil and wildflower seeds into mud balls to throw into a wild patch of land.

18. Water Exploration

Use gutters, buckets and natural slopes to pour, move and experiment with water.

19. Shadow Play

Use the sun to create shadows with sticks, bodies or toys and draw around silhouettes.

20. Outdoor Art Gallery

Display natural creations (leaf pictures, stick sculptures, mud drawings) on logs or branches for others to admire.

Why Forest School Is Perfect for EYFS

These Forest School activities support all areas of the EYFS, including:

Physical development – running, climbing, balancing, fine motor skills
Communication and language – discussing textures, describing findings
Personal, social and emotional development – teamwork, resilience, confidence
Expressive arts and design – nature crafts, creative exploration
Mathematics – sorting, counting, measuring
Understanding the world – observing nature, understanding seasons, exploring habitats

If you want more structured EYFS ideas, browse The Muddy Puddle Teacher® resources here:
https://themuddypuddleteacher.co.uk/category/outdoor-learning-resources/

Want More Forest School Support?

Explore our accredited training packages, including Early Years Outdoor Training, here:
https://themuddypuddleteacher.co.uk/outdoor-learning-training-packages/

Or try our 60-day free trial to access hundreds of downloadable outdoor-learning resources, EYFS plans, and Forest School ideas.

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20 Forest School Activities for EYFS: Simple, Safe and Exciting Ideas for Little Learners