Outdoor Learning: The Complete Guide for EYFS, KS1 and KS2
Outdoor learning is one of the most effective ways to make teaching active, memorable and meaningful.
It is not simply about taking children outside for a break from the classroom.
High-quality outdoor learning uses the outdoor environment as a place for teaching, exploration, movement, discussion, problem-solving, creativity and curriculum learning.
Children can learn mathematics through movement, investigate science through first-hand experiences, develop language through real situations, explore geography through their local environment and apply literacy through purposeful tasks.
Outdoor learning can begin in the Early Years and continue throughout primary school.
For children in EYFS, KS1 and KS2, learning outdoors can provide opportunities to think differently, move more, collaborate with others and experience concepts that can be difficult to understand through worksheets alone.
And outdoor learning does not need to be complicated.
You do not need a forest.
You do not need expensive equipment.
You do not need to move every lesson outside.
A playground, small yard, field, garden, local park or school grounds can provide countless opportunities for meaningful learning.
This complete guide explores outdoor learning from EYFS through KS2, including why outdoor learning matters, how it connects to the curriculum, what good outdoor teaching looks like and how schools can build a sustainable approach.
If you are new to this area of pedagogy, try exploring this guidebook first then head back here: The Beginners Guide to Outdoor Learning..
What Is Outdoor Learning?
Outdoor learning is any meaningful learning experience that takes place outside the traditional classroom environment.
It can include child-led play, curriculum teaching, investigation, physical activity, practical problem-solving, creative learning and exploration of the natural environment.
Outdoor learning can happen in school grounds, playgrounds, gardens, fields, parks, woodlands, streets and other local environments.
The location matters less than the quality of the learning.
A lesson does not become outdoor learning simply because children are standing outside.
The environment should add something to the experience.
Children might be able to move more freely, investigate real objects, work on a larger scale, collect data, use natural materials or explore something that cannot easily be recreated indoors.
The question should always be:
Why is this learning better, richer or more meaningful outside?
Why Is Outdoor Learning Important?
Children learn through experience.
The outdoors provides experiences that are often difficult to reproduce inside a classroom.
Children can feel the wind, observe weather, measure real distances, explore shadows, investigate soil, study plants, collect natural materials, follow routes, move their bodies and collaborate on large-scale challenges.
Outdoor learning can support physical development, wellbeing, communication, resilience, creativity, independence, problem-solving and curriculum understanding.
It can also make learning memorable.
Children are often more likely to remember the mathematical investigation they completed across the playground than another page of calculations.
They may remember the science experiment that involved real puddles, shadows or plants.
They may remember the story they acted out across the school grounds.
Outdoor learning gives knowledge context, learn more about the Research behind Outdoor Learning. Explore this article for more: The Impact of Outdoor Learning.
Outdoor Learning Is Not Forest School
Outdoor learning and Forest School are not the same thing.
Forest School is a specific approach with its own principles and methods.
Outdoor learning is much broader.
A teacher delivering a mathematics investigation on the playground is using outdoor learning.
A Reception class exploring water outside is using outdoor learning.
A Year 5 class collecting geographical fieldwork data around the school grounds is using outdoor learning.
Schools do not need to operate a Forest School programme to teach effectively outside.
Outdoor learning can happen every day, across the curriculum and within the ordinary school environment.
Dive deeper into this area by exploring this article: Outdoor Learning vs Forest School.
Outdoor Learning Across EYFS, KS1 and KS2
Outdoor learning should develop as children move through school.
The approach will naturally look different in Nursery, Reception, Year 2 and Year 6.
In EYFS, outdoor learning is often closely connected to continuous provision, child-led exploration and play.
In KS1, outdoor learning can combine active curriculum teaching with opportunities for exploration and practical learning.
In KS2, outdoor learning can become increasingly sophisticated, supporting subject knowledge, enquiry, fieldwork, problem-solving and application.
The outdoors remains valuable at every stage.
Children do not suddenly stop benefiting from movement and first-hand experiences when they leave Reception.
Make a Start Today, Outdoor Learning Lesson Plans for EYFS, KS1 & KS2
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Outdoor Learning in EYFS
Outdoor learning is fundamental to high-quality early years practice.
Young children learn through play, movement, exploration, repetition and first-hand experience.
The outdoor environment gives children room to run, climb, transport, construct, investigate, create and communicate.
A strong EYFS outdoor environment might include loose parts, natural materials, water, mud, mark-making opportunities, large-scale construction, role play, books, physical challenges and spaces for quieter exploration.
Outdoor learning can support all seven areas of the EYFS.
Communication and Language Outdoors
Children develop communication through meaningful experiences.
Outdoor play naturally creates reasons to talk.
Children may negotiate how to build a den, describe what they have discovered, explain an idea or develop imaginative stories.
Adults can introduce new vocabulary connected to real experiences.
Words such as heavier, lighter, underneath, beside, rough, smooth, slippery, enormous and narrow become meaningful when children can experience them. Discover more resources: Outdoor Communication & Language Hub.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development Outdoors
Outdoor learning can support independence and collaboration.
Children make decisions, negotiate with others, manage challenges and develop confidence.
They may need to solve disagreements, share resources and persevere when something does not work.
These are valuable learning experiences.
Physical Development Outdoors
The outdoors provides opportunities for running, jumping, balancing, climbing, pulling, pushing, carrying and lifting.
Children can also develop fine motor control through chalking, threading, manipulating natural objects, using tools and creating with mud or clay.
Literacy Outdoors
Literacy outside should be purposeful.
Children might retell stories, create large-scale story maps, make signs, search for sounds, explore environmental print or use chalk for mark-making.
Books can also be taken outside and connected to children’s play.
Mathematics Outdoors
The outdoor environment is full of mathematics.
Children can count, measure, sort, compare, estimate, explore capacity, create patterns and investigate shape.
They can measure real objects, compare sticks, count steps, investigate height and explore number through movement.
Understanding the World Outdoors
The outdoors is naturally rich in opportunities for understanding the world.
Children can observe seasons, plants, animals, weather, materials and their local environment.
They can investigate water, shadows, ice, soil and living things.
Expressive Arts and Design Outdoors
Children can create large-scale art, explore natural materials, build sculptures, make music and use outdoor spaces for imaginative play.
The outdoors allows children to create on a scale that is often impossible inside.
Outdoor Learning in KS1
Outdoor learning remains extremely valuable in Years 1 and 2.
Children in KS1 still benefit from movement, practical experiences and active learning.
The curriculum can be taught outdoors without turning every lesson into a game.
The goal is to identify where being outside genuinely improves the learning.
Outdoor English in KS1
English outdoors can involve storytelling, vocabulary, phonics, reading, speaking and writing.
Children might act out a story, collect adjectives to describe the environment, create outdoor story trails, practise phonics through movement or write instructions after completing a practical task.
Writing becomes more meaningful when children have something real to write about.
Outdoor Maths in KS1
Mathematics can be highly effective outdoors because children can physically experience concepts.
Children might create number lines across the playground, measure distances, collect data, investigate shape, practise place value with natural materials or solve practical problems.
Outdoor maths does not need to be complicated.
Sometimes simply increasing the scale of the activity makes a concept clearer.
Outdoor Science in KS1
Science naturally lends itself to outdoor learning.
Children can observe plants, investigate habitats, explore seasonal change and study materials.
They can collect real evidence rather than relying entirely on pictures or worksheets.
The outdoor environment becomes the laboratory.
Outdoor Geography in KS1
Children can explore their immediate environment, follow simple routes, use positional language, compare areas and begin developing fieldwork skills.
The school grounds are an excellent starting point for geography.
Outdoor Art and Design in KS1
Children can draw natural objects, create transient art, explore texture, build sculptures and work on a larger scale.
Natural and recycled materials can support creativity without requiring expensive resources.
Outdoor Learning in KS2
Outdoor learning should not disappear as curriculum expectations increase.
In fact, older primary children can benefit enormously from outdoor learning because they are able to tackle increasingly complex investigations and problems.
Outdoor learning in KS2 can support reasoning, independence, enquiry and application.
Outdoor English in KS2
Children can use outdoor experiences as a stimulus for descriptive writing, poetry, persuasive writing, instructions, reports and storytelling.
They may gather vocabulary from a location, create a performance, investigate a setting or take part in a practical challenge before writing.
The experience gives children material to draw upon.
Outdoor Maths in KS2
KS2 mathematics outdoors can include measurement, geometry, data handling, scale, perimeter, area, fractions and problem-solving.
Children can measure the school grounds, calculate perimeter and area, investigate angles, gather data or use movement to explore number relationships.
The outdoor environment provides genuine contexts for mathematics.
Outdoor Science in KS2
Children can investigate forces, habitats, plants, light, sound, materials and seasonal changes.
They can plan enquiries, collect data and make observations.
Outdoor science allows children to see that science is something that happens in the real world.
Outdoor Geography in KS2
Fieldwork is a natural part of geography.
Children can conduct surveys, use maps, collect environmental data, study land use and investigate their local area.
They can compare different environments and develop practical geographical skills.
Outdoor History in KS2
History can also be taken outdoors.
Children might explore local historical features, investigate buildings, create timelines across the playground, re-enact events or use outdoor spaces to understand scale and chronology.
Local history can become particularly powerful when children physically visit the places they are studying.
Taking The Curriculum Outdoors
Outdoor Design and Technology
Outdoor learning provides opportunities for building, testing and evaluating.
Children can construct bridges, shelters, structures and simple machines.
They can investigate materials and solve real design problems.
The additional space available outdoors makes larger-scale construction possible.
Outdoor Computing
Computing does not always require a screen.
Children can explore algorithms, sequencing, debugging and computational thinking through physical activities.
They might create routes, follow instructions, test algorithms and solve logic problems outdoors.
Outdoor Languages
Modern foreign languages can be taught actively outside.
Children can follow instructions, complete vocabulary trails, practise speaking through games and use movement to reinforce new language.
Outdoor PE
Physical education obviously takes place outdoors regularly, but outdoor learning can also help schools integrate movement into other subjects.
Children can move while learning mathematics, spelling, vocabulary and geography.
This is not a replacement for PE.
It is an additional way of making learning more active.
Outdoor RE and PSHE
The outdoors can provide space for reflection, discussion and experiential learning.
Children can explore themes such as community, stewardship, responsibility, relationships and wellbeing.
A change of environment can sometimes support deeper conversation. Gain more inspiration for Outdoor Learning Lesson Planning.
Outdoor Learning and Active Learning
Outdoor learning is closely connected to active learning.
Active learning gives children opportunities to move, investigate, discuss and make decisions.
It does not mean children must run around constantly.
A child measuring shadows is active in their thinking.
A group debating how to solve a construction problem is active in their learning.
A class walking around the school grounds collecting geographical evidence is actively applying knowledge.
The aim is participation. Listen in to this inspirational podcast about active storytelling: Storytelling with Liv.
Outdoor Learning and SEND
Outdoor learning can offer valuable opportunities for children with SEND.
Some children benefit from more space, movement and reduced classroom pressure.
Others may find outdoor environments challenging because of noise, weather, sensory input or unpredictability.
There is no single approach.
Practitioners should consider sensory needs, communication, regulation, physical access, visual support, predictability and adult support.
Outdoor learning should be adapted to the child rather than expecting the child to fit the activity.
For some children, this may mean shorter sessions, smaller groups, visual timetables, quieter areas or carefully structured tasks. Discover this article: Using Nature To Calm Emotions.
Outdoor Learning and Behaviour
Outdoor learning can support behaviour by increasing movement, engagement and purpose.
However, taking children outside does not automatically solve behaviour difficulties.
Clear expectations still matter.
Children need to understand boundaries, routines and how resources should be used.
Outdoor learning works best when teachers establish consistent routines.
Children should know where to gather, how to move safely, how to access resources and what signal means they need to stop and listen.
Good organisation reduces unnecessary behaviour problems.
Outdoor Learning in Small School Grounds
You do not need acres of land.
A small playground can support excellent outdoor learning.
Use walls, fences, paths, markings, steps and small natural areas.
Children can measure, observe, collect data, practise vocabulary, explore shape and complete practical challenges in relatively small spaces.
The most important resource is not the size of the site.
It is the teacher’s ability to see possibilities.
Outdoor Learning in Urban Schools
Urban schools can still provide outstanding outdoor learning.
A paved playground can support mathematics, literacy, science and physical learning.
Local streets can support geography.
Buildings can support history and architecture.
Weather, shadows, sound and movement can all be investigated.
Outdoor learning is not dependent on access to woodland.
Outdoor Learning in Bad Weather
Schools do not need perfect weather to learn outdoors.
Rain, wind, frost and changing temperatures can create valuable learning opportunities.
Children can investigate puddles, measure rainfall, explore wind direction, observe changes in materials and study seasonal change.
Appropriate clothing and sensible risk assessment are important.
There will be occasions when conditions are unsuitable.
Outdoor learning should be flexible rather than rigid.
What Resources Do You Need for Outdoor Learning?
Outdoor learning does not require expensive equipment.
Useful resources include chalk, buckets, clipboards, tape measures, rulers, string, crates, cardboard, fabric, ropes, tubes, guttering, natural materials and simple containers.
Digital tools can also be useful where appropriate.
The best resources are versatile.
A piece of chalk can support mathematics, spelling, art, diagrams, maps and games.
A collection of sticks can support measurement, number, art, storytelling and science.
Before buying new equipment, ask whether you already own something that could do the job.
Outdoor Learning and Sustainability
Outdoor learning can support a more sustainable approach to education.
Schools do not need to continually purchase plastic resources.
Natural, recycled and reusable materials can provide rich learning opportunities.
Cardboard, fabric, wood, stones, sticks and simple containers can be used across subjects.
Children can also learn directly about sustainability by investigating local environments, biodiversity, waste, materials and responsible use of resources.
The outdoors can make sustainability part of everyday learning. Listen into this podcast episode exploring sustainability in school setting: Edd Moore and Sustainability.
How to Plan Outdoor Learning
Start with the learning objective.
Do not begin with the question:
“What fun thing can we do outside?”
Begin with:
“What do the children need to learn?”
Then ask:
“Would being outside improve this lesson?”
Consider the objective, the space, resources, grouping, safety, weather and what children need to know before going outside.
Some lessons may only need ten minutes outdoors.
Others may take an entire session.
Outdoor learning does not need to be all or nothing.
A Simple Outdoor Learning Planning Model
First, identify the learning objective.
Next, decide what the outdoor environment adds.
Then consider the practical organisation.
Think about what resources children need, how children will work, where they will gather and how you will assess the learning.
Finally, consider what happens afterwards.
Will children discuss their findings indoors?
Will they record results?
Will they use the experience as a stimulus for writing?
The outdoor activity should connect clearly to the wider learning sequence.
Assessment Outdoors
Assessment should focus on learning rather than location.
Teachers can observe, question, listen and collect evidence just as they would indoors.
Children can explain reasoning, demonstrate understanding and record findings.
Not every outdoor lesson needs photographic evidence.
A photograph of children outside does not automatically show what they learned.
Assessment should be purposeful. Make a start and download : Outdoor Learning Assessment Grid.
Common Mistakes in Outdoor Learning
Taking worksheets outside
If children are sitting outside completing exactly the same worksheet they would have completed indoors, the environment may not be adding much.
Ask what the outdoors makes possible.
Making every lesson into a treasure hunt
Treasure hunts can be useful, but they should not become the default outdoor learning strategy.
Children need a range of experiences.
Overcomplicating planning
Outdoor learning should not create an enormous additional workload.
Use familiar objectives and adapt how they are taught.
Buying too much equipment
Good outdoor learning depends more on pedagogy than products.
Assuming outdoor learning is only for younger children
KS2 pupils still benefit from movement, investigation and real-world learning.
Using outdoor learning only as a reward
Outdoor learning is teaching.
It should not be treated simply as something children earn after completing indoor work.
Make a Start Today, Outdoor Learning Lesson Plans for EYFS, KS1 & KS2
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Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Learning
What is outdoor learning?
Outdoor learning is meaningful teaching and learning that takes place outside the traditional classroom. It can include curriculum teaching, practical investigation, play, fieldwork, movement and creative learning.
What are the benefits of outdoor learning?
Outdoor learning can support physical development, wellbeing, communication, engagement, independence, problem-solving, collaboration and curriculum understanding.
Is outdoor learning part of the curriculum?
Outdoor learning is not usually a separate National Curriculum subject. Instead, it can be used as an approach to teaching existing curriculum content across subjects.
Can all subjects be taught outdoors?
Many elements of the curriculum can be taught outdoors, including English, maths, science, geography, history, art, design technology, computing, languages, PSHE and RE. Not every lesson needs to be outside.
Is outdoor learning suitable for KS2?
Yes. KS2 children can use outdoor learning for sophisticated investigations, fieldwork, mathematics, science, writing, geography and problem-solving.
Do schools need a large outdoor space?
No. Playgrounds, yards and small school grounds can support effective outdoor learning.
Is outdoor learning the same as Forest School?
No. Forest School is a specific approach. Outdoor learning is a broader term that includes curriculum teaching and learning in many outdoor environments.
Is outdoor learning suitable for children with SEND?
Yes, but provision should be adapted to individual needs. Consider sensory needs, communication, regulation, physical access and predictability.
Does outdoor learning require expensive resources?
No. Many effective outdoor lessons use simple resources already available in school.