Outdoor Lesson Plans for Primary Schools: EYFS, KS1 & KS2
Looking for outdoor lesson plans that actually help you teach the curriculum?
You are in the right place.
At The Muddy Puddle Teacher®, we help teachers and early years practitioners take meaningful learning outdoors using simple, practical activities that don’t require expensive equipment or an enormous woodland.
Our outdoor learning lesson plans cover EYFS, KS1 and KS2 and include ideas for:
- maths
- English
- phonics
- science
- geography
- history
- art
- PE
- wellbeing
- SEND
- STEM
- cross-curricular learning
The Muddy Puddle Teacher approach is not about taking a worksheet outside.
It is about asking:
How could children understand this concept through movement, exploration, natural materials and real experience?
Whether you have a field, playground, courtyard, small garden or just a patch of outdoor space, you can start teaching outdoors.
Looking for ready-to-use outdoor learning ideas?
Explore The Muddy Puddle Teacher® outdoor learning resources, training and membership and start taking more of your curriculum outdoors. You could also make a start by signing up to our FREE outdoor learning magazine.
If you are completely new to taking learning outside, start with our Beginner’s Guide to Outdoor Learning and then return here for everything you need to develop outdoor learning across Key Stage 1.
What Are Outdoor Lesson Plans?
Outdoor lesson plans are planned learning experiences that use the outdoor environment as part of the teaching.
That difference matters.
Taking children outside to complete the same task they could have completed at a desk is not necessarily outdoor learning.
Instead, a purposeful outdoor learning lesson plan uses what being outdoors gives us:
- space
- movement
- real objects
- natural materials
- weather
- changing environments
- opportunities for investigation
- sensory experiences
- collaboration
- real-world contexts
For example, rather than completing a page of addition questions, children might collect natural objects, group them, combine quantities and physically demonstrate number relationships.
Instead of simply reading about habitats, children might investigate a real microhabitat.
Instead of looking at photographs of shapes, children might hunt for them within the built and natural environment.
The learning objective remains important.
The difference is how children experience it.
Why Use Outdoor Learning Lesson Plans?
Outdoor learning shouldn’t be an occasional reward or something saved only for warm weather.
Used thoughtfully, the outdoors can become another teaching environment.
Well-planned outdoor lessons can give children opportunities to:
- move while learning
- investigate concepts practically
- communicate and collaborate
- apply knowledge in different contexts
- make decisions
- ask questions
- solve problems
- explore the natural world
- learn through first-hand experiences
And outdoor learning doesn’t have to involve hours of additional planning.
Once teachers become confident with a few simple outdoor teaching techniques, the same methods can be adapted across different subjects and year groups.
Outdoor Learning Doesn’t Mean Forest School
Outdoor curriculum learning and Forest School are not the same thing.
Both can be valuable, but they have different purposes.
Outdoor learning can simply mean teaching part of your normal curriculum outside.
You might take a Year 1 maths objective onto the playground for 20 minutes.
You might teach a Year 4 science investigation outdoors.
You might use natural materials during a Reception phonics session.
You do not need to transform your entire timetable.
And you certainly don’t need a forest.
Try this artcle for more clarity: What is Outdoor Learning?
Sign Up For Your FREE Outdoor Lesson Plan Magazine
Our free weekly Muddy Puddle Teacher Magazine is a brilliant starting point if you want regular outdoor learning ideas without feeling overwhelmed.
Each week, the magazine shares topical and seasonal inspiration for Early Years, KS1, KS2, SEND, Forest School and home settings. It is designed to give you simple ideas you can use in the week ahead, linked to what is happening in the season, the weather, special days, nature, school life and children’s interests.
The magazine is perfect for teachers who want quick outdoor learning ideas, childminders looking for fresh inspiration, parents wanting weekend and holiday activities, home educators planning nature-based learning and Forest School leaders wanting seasonal prompts.
Sign up for the free magazine and start building outdoor learning into your week.
EYFS Outdoor Lesson Plans
Outdoor learning is a fundamental part of high-quality early years provision.
For young children, the outdoors provides opportunities for movement, investigation, communication, imaginative play and exploration that can be difficult to recreate indoors.
The goal shouldn’t be to fill the outdoor area with as many resources as possible.
Instead, think carefully about:
What opportunities does this environment give children to play, explore, communicate and think?
EYFS outdoor learning ideas
Try:
Natural Shape Hunt
Look for circles, triangles, squares and rectangles around your environment.
Children might spot:
- windows
- gates
- paving
- signs
- leaves
- objects within the playground
Talk about what makes each shape that shape.
Mud Kitchen Maths
Use containers, water, mud and natural resources to explore:
- full and empty
- more and less
- capacity
- counting
- comparing
- size
Sound Walk
Move quietly around your outdoor area.
What can children hear?
Can they copy the sound?
Can they describe it?
Can they work out where it came from?
This can support communication, listening and early phonological awareness.
Stick Stories
Collect or provide sticks and other loose parts.
Invite children to create characters, places or story scenes.
Then encourage them to tell their story.
Seasonal Investigations
Ask children:
What can we find outside that tells us what season it is?
Let them observe rather than immediately giving them a checklist.
Outdoor Mark Making
Experiment with:
- chalk
- water and brushes
- mud
- sticks in soil
- large-scale paper
- natural loose parts
Young children often benefit from having space to make large movements before being expected to produce small controlled marks.
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KS1 Outdoor Lesson Plans
Outdoor learning in Key Stage 1 can help children move from play-based exploration into increasingly structured curriculum learning without losing movement, curiosity and practical experience.
Outdoor lessons can be used across Year 1 and Year 2.
KS1 outdoor lesson ideas
Place Value Outdoors
Give children groups of natural materials such as sticks, stones or conkers.
Ask them to represent numbers using tens and ones.
For example:
34 = 3 groups of ten + 4 ones
Then challenge children to:
- make one more
- make one less
- compare two numbers
- order several numbers
- explain their thinking
Phonics Hunt
Choose a sound.
Children search outside for something that:
- begins with the sound
- contains the sound
- rhymes with a chosen word
If the object can’t be collected, photograph it or point it out.
The important element is listening and talking.
Seasonal Science
Choose one tree or area within the school grounds.
Return regularly throughout the year.
Observe:
- leaves
- buds
- flowers
- wildlife
- weather
- shadows
Children begin to build a real understanding of change over time.
Outdoor Story Setting
Take children outside before writing.
Ask:
What can you see?
What can you hear?
What can you feel?
What might happen here?
Use the experience as the stimulus for a story setting.
Geography Detectives
Explore the school grounds and identify:
- human features
- physical features
- routes
- boundaries
- landmarks
Children could then create a simple map.
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KS2 Outdoor Lesson Plans
Outdoor Maths Investigation
Ask children:
How could we estimate the height of this tree/building/object?
Let groups discuss possible strategies before deciding on a method.
Outdoor maths can move beyond practising calculations and become genuine mathematical problem-solving.
Learn more about this area with this guide: Outdoor Learning in KS2
Biodiversity Survey
Divide the school grounds into different areas.
Children record the living things they observe.
Compare areas.
Ask:
Which area appears to have the greatest biodiversity?
Why might that be?
How reliable is our evidence?
How could we improve the investigation?
Big Write Outdoors
Take children outside before writing.
Rather than asking them simply to “describe the playground”, give them a strong imaginative prompt.
For example:
You arrive at school one morning and discover that every adult has disappeared.
Explore the grounds.
What would the school feel like?
What would you notice?
What might happen next?
Return inside with vocabulary, ideas and experiences ready for writing.
Outdoor History Timeline
Give children historical events or dates.
Ask them to physically organise themselves into chronological order across the playground.
Then introduce:
- missing events
- periods
- simultaneous events
- duration questions
Children can physically see chronology. Explore: Year 3 Outdoor Big Write Ideas
Forces Investigation
Use different outdoor surfaces to investigate friction.
Compare how an object moves across:
- grass
- concrete
- gravel
- soil
- another suitable surface
Children can make predictions, collect evidence and discuss variables.
Outdoor Maths Lesson Plans
Outdoor Maths Idea: Human Number Line
Create a large number line using chalk.
Ask children to physically stand on numbers.
Try questions such as:
Stand on a number greater than 25 but less than 35.
Move five spaces forwards.
Where would ½ be between these two numbers?
Which two multiples of five is your number between?
Adjust the questions according to age. Explore: Outdoor Primary Maths Guidance.
Outdoor Maths Idea: Measure the Playground
Use rulers, metre sticks or measuring tapes.
Children can investigate:
- the length of the playground
- perimeter of areas
- height of objects
- distances
- comparisons
- estimates
The environment gives measurement a real purpose.
Outdoor English Lesson Plans
Outdoor English doesn’t mean children have to sit outside writing in books.
The outdoor experience can become the stimulus for better speaking, reading and writing.
Use the outdoors for:
- vocabulary
- storytelling
- drama
- poetry
- character development
- descriptive writing
- phonics
- spelling
- reading
- speaking and listening
Outdoor English Idea: Five-Senses Vocabulary
Take children outside.
Ask them to collect words rather than objects.
What can they:
- see?
- hear?
- smell?
- feel?
Challenge them to improve ordinary vocabulary.
Instead of:
tree
could they describe:
twisted branches
rough bark
flickering leaves
The outdoor experience then feeds directly into writing.
Outdoor English Idea: Story Journey
Create several points around the playground.
At each point, reveal another part of a story.
Children travel physically through the narrative before retelling or writing it.
Movement can be particularly useful for children who struggle to hold an entire narrative sequence in their working memory.
Outdoor Art Lesson Plans
Outdoor Art Idea: Giant Natural Art
In groups, create a large piece of temporary artwork from materials already available within the setting.
Photograph it when complete.
Then return everything responsibly.
Outdoor Art Idea: Texture Hunt
Find interesting textures.
Children can:
- describe them
- sketch them
- photograph them
- safely make rubbings where appropriate
Use the findings to inspire later artwork.
How to Plan an Outdoor Lesson
A good outdoor lesson does not need a completely different planning format.
Try this simple structure.
1. Start with the learning objective
What do children need to learn?
Never begin with:
I need to do something outdoors.
Begin with:
What am I teaching?
2. Ask what outdoors adds
Would being outside provide:
- more space?
- real objects?
- natural resources?
- movement?
- investigation?
- a real-life context?
If the outdoors doesn’t improve the learning, the lesson may be better indoors.
That’s okay.
3. Keep resources simple
Before carrying six boxes outside, ask:
What do I actually need?
4. Set clear boundaries
Before starting, explain:
- where children can go
- what they can use
- what they shouldn’t touch
- how you will call them back
- what the task is
5. Get children doing quickly
Long teacher explanations outside can be difficult.
Explain clearly.
Model briefly.
Then allow children to investigate.
6. Bring the learning back together
Always return to the objective.
Ask:
What did we discover?
How do you know?
What evidence did you find?
What did you learn?
The outdoor activity is not the objective.
The learning is.
Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Lesson Plans
What are outdoor lesson plans?
Outdoor lesson plans are structured learning activities that use outdoor environments, movement, natural resources or real-world experiences to help children meet specific learning objectives.
What subjects can you teach outdoors?
Almost every primary subject can include outdoor learning. Maths, English, phonics, science, geography, history, art, PE, wellbeing and cross-curricular lessons can all be adapted for outdoor environments.
What are some easy outdoor learning activities?
Simple outdoor learning activities include nature counting, shape hunts, sound walks, habitat investigations, shadow observations, measuring challenges, outdoor storytelling, mapping activities and large-scale timelines.
What are some outdoor lesson ideas for KS1?
KS1 outdoor lesson ideas include place-value activities using natural resources, phonics hunts, seasonal observations, measuring challenges, outdoor story settings, map-making and practical science investigations.
What are some outdoor lesson ideas for KS2?
KS2 pupils can undertake biodiversity surveys, large-scale maths investigations, outdoor writing experiences, mapping, local history investigations, science enquiries, timelines and problem-solving activities.
Do you need a forest for outdoor learning?
No.
Outdoor learning can happen on a playground, courtyard, playing field, garden or other suitable outdoor space.
The Muddy Puddle Teacher approach focuses on making the most of the environment you already have.
Do outdoor lessons need to be full lessons?
No.
Outdoor learning can be:
- a 10-minute starter
- part of a lesson
- an investigation
- the main lesson
- an afternoon activity
- continuous provision
- a whole project
Starting small is often the easiest way to build confidence.
Is outdoor learning suitable for SEND learners?
It can be extremely useful as one of many approaches to learning, but teachers should consider each child’s individual sensory, communication, mobility, regulation and support needs when planning outdoor experiences.
What equipment do teachers need for outdoor lessons?
Very little.
Natural resources, chalk, containers, measuring equipment, clipboards, string and reusable resources can support a huge range of outdoor lessons.