Course Summary
Build your confidence in teaching Early Years maths outdoors with this practical and flexible starter course.
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The course will help you turn everyday outdoor spaces into meaningful maths environments using movement, play, natural materials and simple reusable resources. You will discover how to support early number, shape, measure, pattern and mathematical language without relying on worksheets or expensive equipment.
Course Level
Starter Level
Ideal for practitioners who are new to outdoor maths or would like simple, achievable ideas to strengthen their current provision.
Time to Complete
Complete the course online and work through each module at your own pace.
What’s Included?
- Practical training videos
- Inspiring podcast content
- Simple tasks to try in your own setting
- Outdoor maths activity demonstrations
- Ideas using natural and reusable resources
- Guidance for supporting different ages and abilities
- Downloadable prompts and practical planning support
- A CPD certificate on completion
- A special course crest to display within your setting or business
Module Content
Module 1: Why Take Maths Outdoors?
Explore the benefits of teaching maths through movement, play and real-life experiences.
Learn how outdoor learning can support engagement, confidence, communication, wellbeing and children who find desk-based learning difficult.
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Module 2: Creating an Outdoor Maths Toolkit
Discover how to teach maths using simple, sustainable resources such as hoops, cones, rope, chalk, buckets, sticks, stones, leaves and pinecones.
Learn how to create a small, affordable toolkit that can be used across many different maths activities.
Module 3: Number and Counting Outdoors
Explore practical ways to develop counting, number recognition, one-to-one correspondence and matching numerals to quantities.
Activities include collecting natural objects, creating outdoor number lines, counting through movement and using loose parts to represent numbers.
Module 4: Comparing and Early Calculation
Learn how to introduce more, fewer, equal, bigger, smaller and simple addition and subtraction through active outdoor play.
Children can compare collections, combine groups, remove objects and solve simple mathematical problems using real materials.
Module 5: Shape, Space and Position
Discover ways to explore 2D and 3D shapes, positional language, spatial awareness and construction outdoors.
Children can make shapes with ropes and sticks, follow simple routes, build structures and use words such as over, under, beside, between and behind.
Module 6: Measures and Mathematical Investigation
Explore early length, height, weight, capacity and time through practical outdoor experiences.
Children can compare sticks, measure puddles, fill containers, investigate shadows and order objects by size.
Module 7: Patterns and Natural Loose Parts
Learn how to use leaves, stones, flowers, sticks and other natural materials to create, copy and continue patterns.
This module also supports sorting, classification, observation and mathematical reasoning.
Module 8: Planning Inclusive Outdoor Maths
Discover how to adapt outdoor maths for children with SEND, sensory needs, physical differences and varying levels of confidence.
Learn how to use visual prompts, larger equipment, quieter spaces and flexible ways for every child to participate.
Module 9: Your Outdoor Maths Challenge
Complete a practical task within your own setting by planning and delivering a simple outdoor maths experience.
Reflect on what worked well, how the children responded and how you could develop the activity further.
Who Is It For?
This course is ideal for:
- Nursery practitioners
- Reception teachers
- Teaching assistants
- Childminders
- Early Years leaders
- SEND practitioners
- Parents and home educators
- Anyone who wants to make Early Years maths more active and engaging
What Will You Learn?
By the end of the course, you will feel more confident planning simple outdoor maths experiences linked to the Early Years curriculum.
You will understand how to use everyday resources, follow children’s interests, encourage mathematical talk and turn ordinary outdoor play into purposeful learning.
What Will You Receive?
After successfully completing the course, you will receive a CPD certificate and an exclusive Taking Maths Outdoors in Early Years course crest to display within your setting, website or business.
Our Outdoor Learning Training: Let’s Learn Programme for Primary Maths is designed to help schools deliver engaging, practical maths lessons through outdoor learning. At The Muddy Puddle Teacher, we show you how to take maths beyond the classroom—using the outdoor environment and our soft resources toolkit to make learning meaningful, accessible, and enjoyable for all learners.
Uncover more helpful tips and tricks in our Outdoor Learning Training Hub.
What Is Outdoor Learning for Primary Maths?
This specialised outdoor learning training focuses on using outdoor spaces to teach key primary maths skills in a hands-on, experiential way.
Through our Let’s Learn programme, you’ll learn how to:
- Deliver maths lessons outdoors with clear learning objectives
- Use practical activities to support understanding
- Engage learners who may struggle with traditional approaches
- Make maths relevant, active, and enjoyable
Outdoor learning helps bring maths to life—turning abstract concepts into real, tangible experiences.
Why Teach Maths Through Outdoor Learning?
Many children find maths challenging when it is taught in a purely abstract way. Outdoor learning provides opportunities to see, touch, and experience maths in real contexts, improving understanding and engagement.
This approach helps to:
- Increase engagement and motivation
- Improve understanding of mathematical concepts
- Support different learning styles
- Encourage problem-solving and reasoning
- Build confidence in maths
When children can move, explore, and interact, maths becomes more accessible and less intimidating.
Using the Let’s Learn Approach
Our Let’s Learn outdoor learning programme is built around structured, purposeful activities that link directly to the primary curriculum.
We combine:
- Clear learning intentions
- Practical, hands-on activities
- Opportunities for exploration and discovery
- Adaptations for different abilities
A key part of this approach is our soft resources toolkit, which provides simple, flexible materials that support learning without overwhelming pupils. These resources help scaffold understanding and allow all learners to participate fully.
What You’ll Learn
This outdoor learning training course is packed with practical ideas you can use immediately:
🌿 Teaching Number & Place Value Outdoors
- Using natural materials for counting, grouping, and sequencing
- Making number concepts visual and tangible
🌿 Measuring, Estimating & Problem Solving
- Real-world measurement activities
- Applying maths to outdoor challenges
🌿 Shape, Space & Geometry
- Exploring shapes and patterns in the environment
- Using movement and space to understand concepts
🌿 Using the Soft Resources Toolkit
- Supporting learners with adaptable, low-demand resources
- Making maths accessible for all abilities
- Encouraging engagement through hands-on tools
🌿 Adapting for Different Learners
- Supporting SEND and diverse learning needs
- Differentiating activities effectively
Who Is This Training For?
This course is ideal for:
- Primary school teachers
- Teaching assistants
- Maths leads
- SENCOs
- Schools looking to develop outdoor learning provision
Whether you’re new to outdoor learning or looking to enhance your maths teaching, this training will give you practical strategies that work.
Benefits of Outdoor Learning for Maths
Schools using our Let’s Learn programme often see:
- Increased engagement in maths lessons
- Improved confidence and participation
- Better understanding of key concepts
- More positive attitudes towards maths
- Stronger problem-solving and reasoning skills
Why Choose The Muddy Puddle Teacher?
We specialise in outdoor learning training for primary schools, offering:
- Practical, curriculum-linked approaches
- A unique soft resources toolkit
- Strategies that work in real classrooms and outdoor spaces
- Inclusive methods that support all learners
We make maths meaningful, active, and accessible through outdoor learning.
Book Your Outdoor Learning Training Today
If you’re ready to transform how maths is taught in your school, our Outdoor Learning Training: Let’s Learn Programme for Primary Maths is the perfect place to start.
Get in touch today to book your training and bring maths to life through outdoor learning.
