Looking for stick activities for children that are simple, creative and actually get children playing outdoors?
Sometimes the best outdoor resources are the ones we do not have to buy.
A stick can become a wand, a character, a measuring tool, a den support, a storytelling prop, a piece of transient art or something completely different in the hands of a child.
That is the joy of open-ended outdoor play.
In this episode of The Muddy Puddle Teacher Podcast, Sarah chats with authors Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks, whose work has encouraged children and families to get outside and reconnect with nature for more than twenty years.
Jo and Fiona are the authors of a fantastic collection of Going Wild books, including The Stick Book, and their philosophy fits beautifully with what we believe at The Muddy Puddle Teacher®: children do not always need elaborate equipment or adult-led activities to learn well outdoors.
Sometimes they just need time, imagination and permission to explore.
New to Outdoor Learning? Head to the Beginners Guide to Outdoor Learning.
For Early Years Educators head to the Outdoor Play Hub.
Why Are Sticks So Good for Children’s Outdoor Play?
Ask a child what a stick is and you will probably get a much more interesting answer than you would from an adult.
It might be a sword.
A magic wand.
A fishing rod.
A spoon.
A walking stick.
A flagpole.
A dinosaur bone.
That is what makes sticks such a wonderful resource for open-ended outdoor play.
They do not come with instructions.
The child decides what happens next.
This kind of play gives children opportunities to use imagination, solve problems, collaborate, communicate and physically manipulate objects in ways that highly structured resources often cannot provide.
At The Muddy Puddle Teacher®, we are big supporters of using natural, low-cost and reusable materials in learning.
You do not always need another tray of plastic resources.
Sometimes nature has already provided exactly what you need.
Stick Activities for Children Don’t Need to Be Complicated
One of the biggest barriers teachers mention when discussing outdoor learning is preparation.
It can feel as though taking learning outside means creating an entirely separate lesson, carrying boxes of resources into the playground and then bringing everything back inside afterwards.
It really does not have to work like that.
Natural resources such as sticks can become part of your everyday outdoor provision because they are flexible enough to be used across play, storytelling, maths, creativity and exploration.
The important part is not creating thirty different stick activities.
It is creating the conditions where children feel confident enough to decide what they might do with them.
LINK: Beginners Guide to Outdoor Learning
Try This Tomorrow: Stick Storytelling
Collect a small number of interesting sticks with the children.
Rather than telling them what each stick represents, ask:
“What could this become?”
One child might decide a forked stick is a dragon.
Another might see a person.
Another might decide it is the entrance to a tiny world.
Use the sticks to create a collaborative story outdoors.
Children can add leaves, stones, petals or other fallen natural materials as scenery and props.
You can then encourage oral storytelling before introducing any expectation to write.
This is particularly useful for children who have wonderful ideas but can become restricted by the demands of recording them immediately.
The learning comes through imagination, vocabulary, communication, sequencing and collaborative play.
LINK: Outdoor English Activities
Why Open-Ended Natural Resources Matter
There is something powerful about giving children a resource that does not already have one obvious purpose.
A plastic toy telephone is generally a telephone.
A stick could be almost anything.
This gives children ownership.
Instead of an adult presenting the finished activity and children completing it, the resource becomes the starting point.
Children have to generate the idea.
They might negotiate with other children, change their plans, experiment, build something that does not work, adapt it and try again.
These are valuable learning behaviours.
Outdoor play gives children the space to practise them naturally.
Find more stick play ideas for children: Mindfullness using sticks activities
About Our Guests: Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks
Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks have spent more than twenty years encouraging children and families to discover wild spaces and reconnect with the natural world.
Together they created the Going Wild collection of books, filled with practical, imaginative and accessible ideas designed to tempt children outdoors.
Their books include Nature’s Playground, Go Wild, Make it Wild, Run Wild, The Stick Book, The Wild Weather Book, The Beach Book, The Wild City Book, The Den Book, The Wild Year Book, Wild Things, Make This Book Wild and Make Every Week Wild.
Their activities are deliberately designed to require little preparation and can be used throughout the year and in many different outdoor spaces.
Fiona has a background in ecology and environmental education and has worked with Wildlife Trusts.
Jo previously worked as an educational psychologist before developing a successful career in creative photography.
The pair originally met through their children’s school playground and shared outdoor adventures with their families. They now continue that connection with nature with their grandchildren.
Their books have been used by teachers, families, Forest School leaders and environmental educators, as well as in some health and wellbeing settings.
Jo and Fiona have also delivered workshops, talks, teacher training and activities for organisations including CBeebies, Natural England, The National Trust, The Forest School Association, Scouts and Wildlife Trusts.
Find Jo and Fiona
Website: Going Wild – goingwild.net
Instagram: @goingwild1
Facebook: Going Wild
🎧 Listen to Sarah’s full conversation with Jo and Fiona on The Muddy Puddle Teacher Podcast.
Can Sticks Be Used for Learning as Well as Play?
Absolutely.
One of the benefits of natural loose parts is that the same resources children choose during play can also support curriculum learning.
Sticks can naturally invite children to think about length, size, shape, quantity, comparison, pattern and position.
They can also become props for storytelling and imaginative play.
The important thing is balance.
We do not need to turn every stick a child picks up into a maths objective.
Sometimes the deepest learning happens precisely because adults allow the play to develop first.
Then we can notice the learning that is already happening and extend it sensitively.
LINK: Outdoor Maths Pillar Page
Try This Tomorrow: Stick Measuring
Choose an interesting stick together and use it as an informal unit of measurement.
Ask children:
“What can we find that is shorter than our stick?”
“What might be longer?”
“How many sticks long is the bench?”
“Can we find something exactly the same length?”
The activity introduces comparison and measurement without immediately reaching for worksheets or rulers.
For younger children, simply exploring longer, shorter, biggest and smallest is enough.
Older children can begin discussing why using different sized sticks gives different answers and why standard units of measurement are useful.
One very simple resource can therefore move naturally from playful exploration into mathematical thinking.
Head to the Outdoor Maths Activities Hub for Maths Resources
Sticks, Risk and Outdoor Play
Whenever sticks are mentioned in school, someone will understandably ask:
“But what about safety?”
Outdoor play should not mean ignoring risk.
It means helping children learn how to recognise and manage it.
Clear expectations can make stick play much easier to manage.
Children can learn to think about how they carry sticks, how much space they need around them and whether a particular action might affect someone else.
That conversation is valuable in itself.
Children need appropriate opportunities to develop judgement.
Removing every possible risk can also remove opportunities for children to learn how to make decisions about risk.
The adult’s role is to assess the environment, know the children and support increasingly responsible independence.
Need help with safety: Try our Risk Assessment Support Guidance for Stick Play
Stick Play and SEND
Open-ended natural resources can also work particularly well for children who do not always engage comfortably with heavily directed activities.
A stick does not demand a correct answer.
Children can explore it physically, imaginatively or quietly.
One child may use sticks to build.
Another may sort them repeatedly.
Another might create characters.
Another might simply enjoy finding particular shapes and textures.
That flexibility allows children to engage at different developmental levels and in ways that feel meaningful to them.
For children who benefit from sensory, movement-based or practical experiences, the outdoors can provide another route into engagement and learning.
For more bespoke support explore our SEND Outdoors Hub.
Outdoor Learning Doesn’t Need More Stuff
There is a tendency in education to believe that improving an area of provision means buying more equipment.
Sometimes it does.
But sometimes improving outdoor learning means doing the opposite.
Strip things back.
Look at what children already have access to.
Sticks, leaves, stones, mud, water, logs and open space can generate enormous amounts of learning when children have time to investigate them.
Natural resources change.
They are irregular.
They require children to make decisions.
They encourage creativity rather than prescribing the outcome.
That is why something as ordinary as a stick can become such an extraordinary learning resource.
Want More Outdoor Learning Ideas?
The Muddy Puddle Teacher® helps teachers, schools, early years practitioners and families make learning more active, sustainable and connected to the natural world.
Inside our resource library you can discover teacher-created ideas for Outdoor Learning, Outdoor Play, Early Years, KS1, KS2 and SEND without relying on endless worksheets or expensive equipment.
You can also receive practical ideas, inspiration and CPD directly through our free Muddy Puddle Teacher Magazine.
Listen to the Muddy Puddle Teacher Podcast
The Muddy Puddle Teacher Podcast brings together teachers, authors, outdoor educators, SEND specialists and inspiring voices from across education.
In this episode, Sarah Seaman talks with Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks about the magic of the humble stick, getting children outdoors and helping families reconnect with nature.
🎧 Listen to “Come and Explore the Magic of the Humble Stick with Authors Jo and Fiona”
FAQs
What activities can children do with sticks?
Sticks are ideal for open-ended outdoor play. Children can use them for imaginative storytelling, building, transient art, measuring, counting, creating characters and constructing small-world environments. The key is not always deciding the activity for them; sometimes giving children access to natural resources allows their own ideas to develop.
Are stick activities suitable for EYFS?
Yes. Sticks can be particularly useful in EYFS because they encourage imaginative play, communication, physical development, mathematical thinking and exploration. Activities should always be appropriate for the age, environment and individual children.
Can sticks be used for KS1 and KS2 outdoor learning?
Yes. Sticks can be incorporated into maths, English, science, art, storytelling, den building and problem-solving activities across KS1 and KS2. The level of questioning and challenge can be adapted for different age groups.
Is stick play safe in schools?
Stick play requires sensible boundaries and adult risk assessment. Children can be taught how to carry, use and position sticks safely while developing their own awareness of space and risk.
Why are natural resources good for children’s play?
Natural resources are usually open-ended. Unlike many toys with a predetermined purpose, sticks, stones, leaves and other natural objects allow children to decide what they represent and how they will use them. This can support creativity, problem-solving, communication and imaginative play.
About the Author
Written by Sarah Seaman PGCE MA
Founder of The Muddy Puddle Teacher®
Teacher for over 19 years
Bloomsbury author
Trainer of thousands of teachers across the UK
Sarah created The Muddy Puddle Teacher® approach to help schools make learning more active, sustainable, playful and connected to the natural world.
