Outdoor Learning Colour Wheel
🎨 Bringing colour and curiosity to outdoor learning!

Make nature your classroom with our Outdoor Learning Colour Wheel – a hands-on, visual tool that helps children explore the vibrant world around them while developing key observation and colour recognition skills. Whether you’re teaching in a forest school, early years setting, or taking your little ones on a nature walk, this resource is the perfect companion for engaging outdoor education.

Designed with little learners in mind, this printable colour wheel encourages children to match colours found in nature — from bright yellow dandelions to deep green leaves — sparking curiosity, creativity, and connection with the outdoors.

🌿 Key Features:

• Supports Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and KS1 learning goals

• Enhances colour recognition, attention to detail, and vocabulary

• Great for forest school, home education, or outdoor classrooms

• Printable and reusable — ideal for laminating and using in any weather

• Encourages sensory learning, mindfulness, and exploration

Use it as part of a scavenger hunt, a seasonal walk, or a standalone activity. It’s a fantastic way to add structure to outdoor play while embracing the freedom and magic of outdoor learning.

🎨 The Importance of Early Years Learning About Colours Outdoors

Learning through nature, one colour at a time

Colour is one of the first ways young children begin to categorise the world around them. It helps them make sense of their environment, communicate, and build connections. While we often start colour learning indoors with flashcards or toys, outdoor learning offers richer, more meaningful opportunities to explore colours in real-life contexts.

Here’s why learning colours outdoors is such a valuable experience for the early years — and how you can make the most of it.

🌿 Why Colours Matter in Early Years Outdoor Learning

1. Real-Life, Rich Colour Experiences

Nature offers an endless variety of shades and tones — think of the deep green of moss, the vibrant red of autumn leaves, or the golden yellow of a dandelion. Learning colours through outdoor exploration helps children see how colours occur naturally, in all their variety and depth.

According to National Geographic Education, outdoor learning experiences help children connect more deeply with what they’re learning by making it concrete and contextual.

2. Multi-Sensory Learning

Outdoors, colour recognition becomes a sensory-rich experience. Children don’t just see colours — they feel the texture of a leaf, smell a flower, or hear the crunch of coloured leaves underfoot. This multi-sensory engagement supports stronger memory and understanding, as supported by research from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

3. Encourages Language and Communication

As children discover and describe colours they find, they’re developing vocabulary and expressive language. Phrases like “Look at the bright orange flower!” or “I found a soft green leaf!” naturally support descriptive speech and communication.

🛠️ How to Teach Colours Outdoors in the Early Years

You don’t need lots of materials or prep time — just some curiosity and a willingness to explore!

🌈 1. Try a Colour Scavenger Hunt

Give children a colour wheel or sheet and ask them to find natural items that match each colour.

👉 Use our Outdoor Learning Colour Scavenger Hunt – designed for little learners to explore colour in nature.

🧺 2. Create a Nature Colour Basket

Choose a colour of the day and let children collect natural items that match. Discuss textures, shapes, and shades. This supports both colour recognition and fine motor skills.

🖌️ 3. Make a Natural Colour Collage

Use the collected items to create a collage by sticking them onto coloured paper or card. This reinforces visual learning and gives children a keepsake of their outdoor experience.

🍂 4. Spot Seasonal Changes

Talk about how colours change across the seasons. From spring blossoms to autumn leaves, every walk becomes a learning opportunity.

➡️ Try our Autumn Colour Hunt Sheet for a colourful seasonal twist!

📚 Learning Outcomes

Outdoor colour learning supports a wide range of development goals in the EYFS, including:

• Understanding the World: Observing natural changes and diversity

• Communication & Language: Describing what they see

• Expressive Arts: Creating art using colour inspiration

• Personal, Social & Emotional Development: Building confidence and independence

As the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) points out, outdoor learning also improves mental health, supports mindfulness, and encourages positive behaviour — all essential for early years development.