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March 12, 2025
Outdoor learning offers a fun and engaging way for primary pupils to connect with their academic learning all whilst interacting with nature and harvesting the many benefits that comes with. But how do you start? This step-by-step guide will help you introduce outdoor lessons to your class with ease.
1. Preparing for your first outdoor lesson
Before you step outside with your class, you may be wondering how best to approach this first lesson, what to do & where to deliver it. Here’s our advice and a few more tips to help you along the way:
- Set Clear Objectives: What do you want the pupils to achieve in this outdoor session? If you have a class with challenging behaviour the objective of your first session outdoors may just be to engage them successfully & safely. If your class are in EYFS or KS1 it may be to develop their listening skills so they remain responsive to you. Or if those foundations are in place it might be a specific curriculum objective. Getting clear on the outcome of your first outdoor lesson will help you to plan accordingly.
- Check the Environment: Walk around the outdoor area beforehand and ask for the school’s risk benefit assessment for outdoor learning. Ensure the space you plan to use is safe and appropriate for the activities you have planned. And most importantly check the weather conditions and plan accordingly.
- Gather Resources: For your first outdoor lesson keep this as light as possible! There are so many possibilities with just playground chalk and natural loose parts, if you’re stuck for ideas make sure to check out The Alfresco Hub.
- Prepare the class: Have the pupils set the expectations for themselves for outdoor lessons. Ask them to define aspects such as how will we keep ourselves safe during the outdoor lesson? What shall we do as a signal to come back to me? How will you know what activities we’re doing? Taking this approach is really effective in implementing behaviour for learning outdoors.
- Get familiar with setting boundaries: use boundary games to establish behaviour for learning when your class first steps outdoors. Transitioning children into the outdoor space using these games sends the signal that this outdoor space is for learning and not play time.
Advice for teachers taking pupils outdoors for the first time:
- Start small: Don’t plan too complex a lesson on the first attempt. Begin with simple & short activities such as a counting circle, an observation activity or SPaG relay races. Having a short burst, successful outdoor lesson first is an excellent foundation for you to then expand upon in future lessons.
- Be mindful of the weather: We all know what the British weather can be like! Ensure parents know you’ll be spending time outside so they can send appropriate coats or hats, consider your back up plan (swap the session within your weekly timetable, utilise outdoor cover or adapt the activities).
2. What to do during your first outdoor lesson
This really is down to your curriculum objective you’re planning to deliver, but to help you out we’ve gone through The Alfresco Hub and shared some of activities we would choose for our first outdoor lesson with various year groups:
Reception - Reading numbers beyond 10
Before delivering this activity have your group or class walk in a line around the perimeter of the area you will be working in to familiarise them with the space.
> Record sound buttons to have the same numbers as your number cards beyond 10.
> Place these buttons around your outdoor space and give children the basket of number cards.
> Each child selects a number, then runs to find the matching sound button by listening to them.
> When they find it, they leave their card next to the sound button and return to the basket to collect another number.
If you have a small group, you can have all the children running at once, if a whole class put children into pairs for them to take turns to find their matching sound button.
Extension ideas
> Have children check all of the sound buttons and the cards surrounding them are correct.
> Then ask the children to represent each of the numbers using numicon.
Required resources: recordable sound buttons, number cards
Benefits of this activity: physical movement & multi-sensory approach with the possibility to include competition to increase engagement
KS1 PSHE - Getting to know you - Recognise what makes people special
Before taking part in this activity ensure you have set the boundary for the work space. You will need to check thoroughly for any unsafe items or plants and make sure the children are aware of what is safe for them to pick up and what is not.
> Children explore the outdoor area individually and collect 5 nature treasures that feel special to them or that they think are beautiful.
> Have children get into groups of about 5.
> Taking it in turns, children gift each child in their group with one of their nature treasures and some kind words about what makes that person special.
The final nature treasure is for themselves and to share what they feel makes them special.
Required resources: none - nature is doing your preparation for you!
Benefits of this activity: hands-on & purposeful to increase engagement, multi-sensory style & increased opportunities for communication
Year 4 - States of Matter - Comparing and grouping materials according to their states of matter
>Provide each pair with three sticky notes, asking them to write solid, liquid and gas on them and a tablet to take photographs (alternatively this lesson could be recorded using clipboard, pencil and paper).
>Have the children investigate the outdoor space, looking for examples of solids, liquids and gases. The pairs place the correct sticky note to label their find and take a photograph to record it. You can save these photographs for use on a display or to refer back to later in the unit.
> At the end ask pairs to discuss with each other what they've found to match each state and share the photographs they’ve taken (or their recordings).
Required resources: Sticky notes
Benefits of this activity: real life context, increased opportunities for communication, hands-on exploration to increase understanding
Year 6 ratios - Understand the concept of ratio and use it to compare quantities
> In small groups, send the class off on a scavenger hunt to find as many leaves/sticks/pebbles/conkers (or other natural items) as they can, seeing which they can find the most.
> Discuss which natural object they found in the highest/lowest proportion.
> Explain that we can compare and record the quantities of items in relation to each other using ratio.
> Show some example ratios using the natural items collected (see photo) and how you can record it using the : symbol. So there are 3 leaves for every 2 conkers and we can record it using 3:2.
Resources required: Chalk & nature within your outdoor space!
Benefits of this activity: Real life context to deepen understanding, multi-sensory learning, cross-curricular links with nature identification, collaborative learning style
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Key advice for choosing your first outdoor activity:
- Keep it short & snappy: A quick, positive experience will have everyone feeling ready to go outdoors again, yourself included!
- Simplicity is key: simple to follow, simple to resource & simple to deliver - follow these principles whilst you get used to the logistics of managing a whole class outdoors.
- Be flexible: Outdoor learning allows for spontaneity. One of the joys we often miss in teaching is real life contexts - if the environment offers something interesting or unexpected that links to either this objective or another you have or will cover, make the most of it!
3. Developing outdoor learning as a regular approach
To create a sustained outdoor learning experience, teachers should build upon initial lessons. Here are some strategies for incorporating outdoor learning into your ongoing teaching:
- Create a Routine for Outdoor Learning: In the same way that you have a morning routine to settle children into class. Establishing a routine for your outdoor lessons will reinforce expectations, promote readiness to learn & create a positive association with outdoor learning.
- Use Outdoor Spaces Creatively: Your outdoor lessons don’t always need to be in the school garden or nature area. Make use of grass verges, playgrounds & the walkways that go unused around school during the daytime.
- Reflect and Share Learning: Taking some time to share successful outdoor lessons with your staff team during staff meetings can help to give one another fresh ideas & troubleshoot any barriers you may have faced when heading outdoors with your class.
Outdoor learning is not just a fun way to spend time outside but an enriching approach to education that encourages a more holistic development of the child. When combined with the curriculum it can be one of the most rewarding experiences for both pupils and teachers. Start small, plan ahead, and watch your students flourish in the great outdoors! Connect with us on social media to tell us how you’re approaching outdoor learning.