7 Refreshing Outdoor Learning Ideas Kids Will Love
Updated on: December 9, 2024
The best way to raise attainment? Make learning exciting. Take learning outside and you’ll soon find inspiration for outdoor learning ideas of every kind. If this conjures images of children painting stones and collecting leaves, think again.
The outdoor classroom has so much more to offer.
It’s possible to create lots of fun outdoor learning activities that meet solid national curriculum objectives. In fact, our innovative playground markings make it easy to implement outdoor learning ideas that don’t need lots of organisation.
We’re a top playground equipment company with a belief that play should be both fun and educational. Our creative playground markings can provide ready to use starting points for a wide range of outdoor activities.
From maths to science, geography, English, languages and more, the variety of lessons you can create with our playground markings is extensive. And it’s not restricted to early years, you can use our resources with children in early years, KS1 and KS2.
We know the benefits of outdoor learning are impressive. From better physical and emotional health to higher levels of engagement through multi-sensory learning and greater understanding of the world around us, there are many powerful reasons to take learning outside.
Here are 7 refreshing outdoor learning ideas to get you started.
7 Ideas For Outdoor Learning Kids Will Love
1. Maths Outdoor Learning Idea: Fractions
Suitable for: KS1 & KS2 Group
Activity: Recognise and write fractions
1.Stand on the yellow outer circle and discuss what you can see. Give each child a beanbag. Tell children to stand in a specific area a distance away from the marking. Say show me one half. Children must place their beanbag on one half. They can choose any of the markings.
2. Ask how can we check? Together discuss whether each child was right. Discuss why you can’t find half of the circles cut into thirds, fifths, and sevenths. Pick children to draw in chalk where half would be on each.
3. Children record different fractions equivalent to one half on whiteboards.
4. Send children back to starting point a distance away. Call out different fractions, working together children place their beanbags over the right fraction. Discuss whether they are right each time.
5. Send children back to the starting point. You put a chalk mark number under each circle then place beanbags over different fractions. Working in pairs children write down the various fractions they can see, numbering each answer to match the number under each circle.
6. Together check through each with children being the teacher. You say I think this is… am I right? How do you know? Say most of them wrong so children can correct you.
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2. English Outdoor Learning Idea: Alphabet
Suitable for: Early Years & KS1 Group
Activity: Know the letters of the alphabet
1.Stand in a circle around the outside of the marking. Tell children to stand on the first letter of the alphabet. Tell children to stand on the last letter of the alphabet.
2. Ask how can we check? Discuss the fact that alphabetical order is a common way to organise things so it’s important to know the order of the alphabet. Give examples. Say a good way to remember alphabetical order is through the song. Sing it together.
3. Ask who could jump and sing it? Pick three children to do the first half of alphabet. Pick another three to do the second half of the alphabet.
4. Return to the original questions and re-assess. Tell children to stand on the first letter of the alphabet. Tell children to stand of the last letter of the alphabet. Tell children to stand on the second letter of the alphabet. Tell children to stand on the letter that comes before Z and so on.
3. English Outdoor Learning Idea: Vowels
Suitable for: Early Years & KS1 Group
Activity: Know the 5 vowels
1. Stand in a circle around the outside of the marking. Tell children to stand on a vowel. Ask what is a vowel? Explain the vowels are a, e, i, o, and u. Say they’re highlighted on the marking in a block colour.
2. Ask children to stand on a vowel again. Together say the vowels and check everyone is correct.
3. Give children chalk. Stand on a vowel. Ask children to say the vowel you’re standing on. Tell children to write the vowel in chalk 5 times. Repeat for another vowel. Tell children to jump up and down three times then write the vowel three times in chalk. Repeat for each, giving children a different physical activity to do before they write the vowel.
4. Split children into pairs. Pick one child in each to be the teacher. The other child who is the pupil has 1 minute to write down all the vowels in chalk. Call time’s up then ask the partner who is the teacher to check. If their partner is right the teacher puts a tick by the vowels. If the partner is wrong, the teacher helps the pupil to correct it. You walk around and observe, assisting where necessary.
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4. PSHE Outdoor Learning Idea: Feelings
Suitable for: Early years, KS1 & lower KS2 Group
Activity: Name common feelings
1. Tell children to jog around the area around the circle. Shake a tambourine or similar instrument. Children must stop and run to a face inside the circle. Only one person can stand on each face.
2. Ask each child to name the feeling they are standing on. Tell children to jump around the area around the circle. Shake the tambourine and repeat standing on the feeling.
3. Together walk around the circle, look at each face and discuss the feeling shown.
4. Children hop around the area around the circle. This time call out an item of food when you shake the tambourine. Children have to run to the feeling that shows how they feel about that item of food. Discuss their opinions together. Model by starting yourself. E.g. Chocolate makes me feel happy because it tastes delicious.
5. Maths Outdoor Learning Idea: Time
Suitable for: KS1 & Lower KS2 Group
Activity: Read and write 12-hour time
1. Stand on the yellow outer circle and discuss what you can see. Place a metre ruler on the yellow dot pointing to the 12, discuss this shows you minutes. Place a 30 centimetre ruler on the yellow dot pointing to the 3, discuss this shows you hours. Ask what time is this? Discuss how they know.
2. Show another o’clock. Ask what time is this? Repeat. Pick children to be the teacher and have a go.
3. Now show half past three. Ask what time is this? Discuss how they know. Repeat. Pick children to be the teacher and have a go.
4. Remove the rulers. Ask who could use their bodies as part of a pair to show half past 8. Ask different pairs of children to show an o’clock, half past then a quarter past. Finish by showing quarter to using the rulers.
6. Languages Outdoor Learning Idea: Spanish
Suitable for: KS1 & lower KS2 Group
Activity: Know numbers to 10.
1. Together walk along the marking saying each number in Spanish.
2. Ask children to sit in front of the marking. Throw a beanbag onto the number as a figure, children have to say the number in Spanish. Pick children to throw the beanbag and together the whole group say number.
3. Get children to stand up and take three big steps back. Call out the number in Spanish and ask children to run to the number as a figure. Repeat numerous times.
4. Give out whiteboards. Pick children to throw the beanbag onto a number written as a figure. Call it out, children write the number in Spanish. Finish by saying numbers in Spanish and children write the number as a figure.
7. English Outdoor Learning Idea: Phonics
Suitable for: Early years and KS1 Group
Activity: Know phonemes for phase 2
1. Stand together at the base of the circle by the cloud. You throw a beanbag; children say the phoneme. Repeat many times and let children have a go at throwing the beanbag.
2. Children stand around the edge of the circle. You say the phoneme and children run in and place their beanbag on the correct grapheme.
3. Children stand around the edge of the circle. Play I spy. Take it in turns to throw the beanbag. Whichever phoneme it lands on, you say I spy with my little eye something beginning with… (ie. whatever phoneme the beanbag is on). You can only pick things children can see in the outdoor area around them.
Find tons more brilliant ideas for outdoor learning in our education collection now.
Jess Sparks
Jess is deeply committed to supporting our mission of positively impacting UK outdoor play environments to promote healthy lifestyles in children.
With a CIM Level 6 Diploma in Sustainable Marketing, Jess channels her passion for sustainability into her marketing role, using her skills to promote eco-conscious practices and raise awareness for our initiatives.
Jess’ experience within the industry is instrumental in driving engagement and supporting connections with those who require ultra-durable, high-grade playground markings both locally and internationally.
