As the winter months roll around, you might think that playing and learning for early years children is put on hold. The good news is that, while there are more barriers and restrictions to outdoor play, there are still plenty of winter eyfs ideas that will stimulate your pupils!
Luckily for you, here at A&S Landscape, we design and install primary school canopies that are great for shading pupils while they participate in early years winter activities. In this blog, we will showcase some of our favourite designs as well as provide you with some inspiring eyfs winter ideas.
Let’s get into it!
What Are the Benefits of Winter Outdoor Play for Early Years?
Did you know that outdoor learning improves academic performance? You might understand that being outdoors in the summer months has many benefits, such as exposure to sunlight and vitamin D, but what about those dull and dreary months at the end of the year?
Well, getting outdoors in the frost, snow, and crisp winter weather can actually promote concentration and the well-being of your pupils. When children are wrapped up warm and having fun outdoors, they don’t necessarily notice the cold.
Here are some of the key benefits of winter outdoor play:
- Social development – shared outdoor experiences for pupils means that they are better at cooperation, communication, and teamwork.
- Sensory development – allowing young children to experience different textures, temperatures, and sounds in the winter can help to stimulate their senses and gives them new things to touch, hear, and smell.
- Physical development – winter activities (which we’ll get into further in this piece!) such as sledging and building snowmen, help to develop children’s physical and mental development and gets them moving.
Our 5 EYFS Winter Play Ideas
There are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors this winter and to bring seasonality into lessons. Winter doesn’t always mean shutting the curtains and snuggling up indoors, it’s a way to engage children and promote outdoor learning, even when the weather is cold outside.
Stay organised and check out our ideas below so that you can plan your winter outdoor play activities for early years!
Leaf Collecting
Dry leaves are a multi-use item for all kinds of activities, including art projects and nature studies. Winter landscapes may seem bare, but luckily, there are still plenty of leaves to be found, a great outdoor play idea that engages children in the beauty of nature.
Get them to compare colours and textures, or use them as stencils for artwork. You could also invite them to find other outdoor bits and bobs like conkers and acorns. Observing how leaves change colour and fall from trees helps children understand natural cycles and the impact of seasons on plants.
Winter Outdoor Story Time
One of our favourite eyfs winter ideas is to create a magical cosy outdoor area that is perfect for reading festive stories. To do this, you’ll need a sheltered spot, like one of our Motiva Shutter™ structures. Create a cosy reading nook by adding blankets and cushions, and of course your pupil’s favourite books.
Many of our outdoor canopies come with heating, but you could also add a portable heater for extra warmth. This outdoor winter idea combines reading with fresh air, making story time a truly unique winter experience!
For more inspiration, check out our blog: 5 Outdoor Reading Area Ideas for Schools.
Frozen Artwork
With winter comes icy and chilly weather, which offers an abundance of outdoor winter activities! One thing you can encourage pupils to do is to create frozen pictures. You can achieve this by filling small trays with natural objects and pouring water on top, then leaving them to freeze solid overnight.
It combines art and science and is especially exciting for children who attend day nurseries and eyfs settings. Children also have the opportunity to explore the temperatures and textures of materials like ice and water.
We’ve also got some School Safety Tips For Cold Weather if you’re looking for ways to prioritise school safety this winter!
Snow Play
Is there anything more magical than a snow day for kids? Make the most of it with fun and exciting play opportunities, while adhering to outdoor safety, of course. For those unexpected snow days, you can suggest snowman-building competitions, snowy walks, and sledging.
The contrast in temperature and weather gives children the chance to observe the beauty of snow and the changing landscape can help to stimulate visual perception.
Den Building
Last on our list of eyfs winter ideas is den building, a fun and exciting idea for the early years. Whether you choose to use wood and branches on a crisp, dry day, or cardboard boxes, building a den together is a great team activity that allows problem-solving and learning to work with different materials.
It can encourage imaginative play and increase communication and cooperation between students, helping to build better bonds and relationships. Plus, what’s more exciting than building a den outdoors?
Enhance Early Years Outdoor Activities With a School Canopy
It’s all fun and games planning winter outdoor activities, but we know that the weather is usually unpredictable and can get in the way of outdoor play ideas. The solution? A school canopy!
Here at A&S Landscape, we’ve got plenty of outdoor canopies that are perfect for encouraging pupils to get outdoors during even the worst of the weather. Let’s have a look at some of our favourite primary school canopies in a bit more detail…
Motiva Wave™
The Motiva Wave™ has all of the benefits of our standard Motiva design but with a funky and fresh look. Its curved roof adds visual interest and comes available in a range of bright and bold colours so that you can add a touch of fun to your outdoors!
It’s totally snow-safe and wind-safe, making it a great outdoor canopy for pupils to play and socialise under during those dark and dreary winter months. You also have the opportunity to add side panels, a coloured roof, or wide span beams for a customisable touch.
Motiva Linear™
Our Motiva Linear™ canopy can be customised to be bright and colourful, perfect for capturing the attention of little ones! The Linear is our straight roof variant, where one side is higher than the other. You can achieve widths of up to 10,000mm with this fabulous structure, meaning that the whole class can get outside and play at the same time.
A rainbow colourway is perfect for the use of a primary school canopy, encouraging little ones to get outdoors and play even in the colder months. Just make sure they wrap up warm!
Maxima Tepee™
The Maxima Tepee™ is one of our fabric canopies, ideal for use as a standalone structure. These colourful structures are manufactured and galvanised in PPC steel and boast an integral gutter system with a waterproof, UV resistant, and fire retardant fabric!
Of course, it’s snow-safe and wind-safe, perfect for outdoor use all year round. You also have the option to add side panels, and post pads, as well as being able to choose from a wide range of colour options.
Make the Most of Your Outdoors Even in Winter With A&S Landscape!
Hopefully, these EYFS winter ideas have given you some inspiration that you can implement into your school’s curriculum. Learning outdoors in winter doesn’t have to be miserable and cold – especially if you have the right cover!
Here at A&S Landscape, we are genuinely passionate about the design and installation of outdoor structures. With over 40 years of experience, we have the brains, passion, and personality to make your project work – just ask us!
For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Or, you can ring us on 01743 444 100. A member of our expert team will be more than happy to get back to you!
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