Searching for outdoor learning activities for EYFS? Then this article is for you! We have gathered 12 outdoor learning activities perfect for EYFS – take a look now.
Here at A&S Landscape, we are passionate about outdoor learning and believe that spending time outdoors is crucial for young children. That’s why we have been supplying inspirational EYFs outdoor areas for a number of years.
If you need a new outdoor area, take a look at our full range of canopies for schools.
In this article, we’ve put together a list of outdoor learning activities perfect for EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage), categorised by season so that you have a handy plan of activities on standby – suitable for all year round!
Why Are Outdoor Learning Canopies For EYFS Important?
Before we share that list with you, let’s understand the importance of outdoor learning canopies for early years foundation stage.
Encouraging learning and outdoor activities is crucial for young children, especially in EYFS.
Therefore, having a safe and comfortable environment, such as our canopies, gives young people the chance to thrive outdoors. Not only are they practical, but they can also be presented in an array of bright colours, making them appealing and eye-catching to EYFS.
Our nursery canopies make the perfect backdrop for your activities, whether you’re encouraging crafts, physical play, or planting and exploring in nature.
Having a functional but fun canopy is at the heart of what we do and we are proud to offer bespoke and unique learning environments.
EYFS Outdoor Learning Activity Examples
Categorised by season, we’ve put together the perfect list of outdoor learning activities, suitable for ages up to five years old.
Whether you want to make the most of the sunshine or want your little ones to
embrace a chill in the air, no matter what the weather we’ve got an activity for you!
Let’s get stuck in.
Spring Activities
Wildlife and Habitats
As we start to transition into spring and the chill of winter is replaced with sunshine, this is the perfect time to get young children outside and explore their environment.
Wildlife and habitats are extremely important, especially as we share our own environments with a range of insects and mammals.
Encourage young learners to explore the world around them. You can do this by introducing them to evidence on different animals’ and plants’ habitats and allowing them to complete further investigations by creating detective booklets.
Natural Music
Children love being outdoors, and they also love music – so why not combine them both to create an abundance of fun?
You can do things such as making a nature shaker. All you need is a recycled plastic container or bottle with a lid and an outdoor area. Fill up these shakers with things such as stones, seeds or twigs, and shake away to create your own musical instrument!
Planting Sunflowers
It is recommended that sunflower seeds are sewn into pots in late March or early April, making this the perfect outdoor learning activity for early-year foundation stages.
Provide a patch of soil and sunflower seed, and encourage young children to place the seed into the soil, as well as regularly watering it. This can give them a sense of responsibility, plus, it’s exciting to check on the sunflowers each week to see how tall they grow.
Summer Activities
Sun Safety
Perhaps one of the most important things you can teach children during the summer months, sun safety is crucial to keeping your little ones safe when playing outside.
Involving them in the discussion can be rewarding, and there are many ways to make it an interactive activity.
Before heading outside, get them into a habit of reaching for and applying their own sun cream. This doesn’t have to be a chore – you could encourage things such as the first one to apply their suncream being rewarded, or reminding them to put cream on parts of their body which will be the most exposed.
Encouraging them to wear fun and character-themed sunglasses is another easy way to practise sun safety.
Outdoor Chalk Art
When the floor is dry, chalk games are always a lot of fun and can keep young children entertained for hours.
All you need is a dry pavement or concrete surface, chalk, and sunlight. Encourage self-portraits and nature-themed drawings, or simply let their imagination run wild.
Seed Safari
With this activity, children will understand that plants grow from seeds and that there are living and non-living things in the world around them.
They will also discover that seeds can be dried, stored, and planted year on year. Encourage them to create and design their own seed packet. When outside, see if they can identify seeds found on the ground and get them to study their texture and size.
Autumn Activities
Plant Bulbs For Spring
As the evenings draw in and we transition into Autumn, planting bulbs is the perfect outdoor activity. Typically bulbs won’t grow until Spring time, so this is a great ongoing activity to keep little ones excited all year round.
You could even dedicate a small outdoor area to planting bulbs. Throughout the weeks, encourage regular watering and checkups on the bulbs and track progress on how quickly they are growing.
Fly A Kite
If you’re faced with a windy day, then this is the perfect opportunity for kite flying! This can be a captivating experience that brings joy, wonder, and a sense of freedom.
If you don’t have access to large numbers of kites, you can always make paper ones and encourage children to draw their own designs. It can also teach them about shapes and encourages creativity.
Leaf Collecting
At this time of year, we see a wonderful change in colour, especially in leaves. Round up your class outdoors and see who can find leaves of each colour: green, brown, yellow, and orange.
This is a great visual outdoor learning activity and is a great way to teach them about the importance of the cycle of a leaf.
Winter Activities
Christmas Pine Cone Painting
In December, with Christmas on the horizon, get little ones to embrace the festivities by painting pine cones!
Pine cones are a great Christmas decoration, and children can use their creativity to paint them in whatever way they like. They could paint them green and turn them into a replica Christmas tree, or cover them in glue and glitter for a sparkly finish.
Before painting, set up a pine cone hunt outside to encourage exercise and problem-solving skills.
Build a Snowman
If you’re lucky enough that it has snowed this Winter, it is essential to make the most of it.
Young children are immediately excited at the first sight of snowfall, and what better way to face the cold than to build a snowman? Remember to wrap them up in coats, scarves, and hats, and let their imagination run wild as they build cheeky and charismatic snowmen!
Make a Winter Bird Feeder
Winter is the best time of the year to feed birds, as they are low on natural forms of food due to freezing weather conditions.
Making a bird feeder is a great way for kids to find out what birds live in the school playground. Our school playground canopies are the perfect space for this activity! Children could even make their own birdwatching book, keeping track of what type of birds are attracted to their feeders.
This activity is extremely easy to do – all you need is some old cups or milk cartons, birdseed, and voila! Your very own bird feeder – impressive and really easy to make.
See How a Canopy Has Helped One of Our Clients Expand Their EYFS Outdoor Learning Experience
Allscott Meads Primary School in Shropshire wanted a small collection of outdoor canopies and opted for three Motiva Linear™ shelters.
We designed this client’s products with fantastically coloured roofs – featuring polycarbonate panels in Mint, Lagoon Blue, Mandarin, Daffodil and Poppy which created a rainbow effect and would look beautiful with sunlight streaming through them.
Representatives from this Shropshire site were thrilled with their three outdoor canopies. They looked forward to seeing their first pupils playing and making friends with classmates beneath them in rain or shine.
You can read our full case study here.
Eager To Find An Outdoor Canopy For Your School?
Hopefully, this article has given you an array of outdoor learning activities for EYFS, no matter the weather, and has taught you the importance of encouraging outdoor learning.
Don’t forget, here at A&S Landscape, we have the brains, passion and personality to make your project work. We are also determined to find the solution to inspire you and make your idea stand out!
Get in touch with us today, or request a brochure to have a browse of our impressive range of outdoor areas.
