Outdoors and EYFS

[angeldelight]

Outdoors and EYFS

A few simple ideas that you do most times you are outdoors

Use these below to observe the child and write in their journal every time they do a new thing that links to any of the areas of the EYFS

Easy !!

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Use movement vocabulary and talk to the children when they are engaged in movement

Eg going in tunnels or climbing on climbing frames etc

Use Language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences - names like bikes / prams - let the bikes become police bikes etc

Use empty boxes and blankets for role play and other props like dressing up clothes

Use toys in the sand or water eg cars , dinosaurs etc

Go for a walk and look at road signs and street signs

Shop names etc

Look at bus stops , the garage etc enhance role play when you get home

Go to the supermarket and talk about the trolleys etc and why we use them

Have a corner in the garden that can be the story corner - even in the winter - tell stories and act them out let them respond to the stories

Going on a bear hunt is my children's favourite

Also the three little pigs the children pretend they live in a house great exercise too when running around

Do some writing on a blackboard or on the ground with chalk.

PROBLEM SOLVING , REASONING AND NUMERACY

Chalk some shapes on the floor for the children to identify and jump in

Can they draw a circle or square ?

Look at the shapes of the toys - the slide , buildings etc

Teach them to count balls, bean bags, cars, bikes etc

Use bean bags for stepping stones

Make shapes with chalk on the floor and count them - play hopscotch

Sort out balls and bean bags and count them when you tidy up

Play with the sand compare quantities , use different containers to measure out the sand / water if you have any

Put sand in toy trailers and see if they go slower with a weight in them

Use toy cars in the sand ask if they move very fast now compared to on the floor - ask why they are slower etc

Use a container outdoors and fill it with water
Do not fill it with a hose let the children do it with old cups and bottles etc see how many cups you need to fill the container etc

Measure distances and time - get the children to see how fast they can ride their bike so many times around the garden

Get the children to join in with counting

Encourage children to ride faster / slower on their bikes etc

We play Caterpillar hopscotch

Use chalk to draw circles of different shapes until you have the length of the Caterpillar you want. Make a face and antenna on the first circle and draw legs on the other circles
Let the children help
On some circles draw a vertical line down the middle of them and leave some with no lines
Encourage the children to jump on the ones with no lines then on the ones with lines much the same way you do in normal hopscotch

Children might not follow the rules but all good fun and good use of motor skills

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Use magnifying glasses to observe and investigate living things , mini beasts and plants

Do this in the garden then explore your local park etc

Plant bulbs and seeds or vegetables - explain about how they grow etc and caring for them

Water play can be so much fun outside

Investigate sprays etc , use old bottles and squeezy bottles , make some bubbles

Encourage older children to draw maps of the outside play area - talk about features the fence , the path etc

Draw a map on the floor with chalk pretend you have roads in your garden where only bikes etc can go explain about safety

Go for a walk a few times a week and observe the changes in seasons / weather
Talk about the wind maybe make simple kites , windmills, wind-chimes anything that will move in the wind explain how they move
Talk about the rain look in puddles for reflections and splash in them - make ripples
Talk about snow and ice and explore the concept of hot and cold

Make sounds - run sticks along railings and make wind chimes with plastic bottle tops, kick through leaves etc

Make tree bark rubbings

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Why not stick some bags to some sticks and run in the wind - run with kites or tie streamers to the children's hands and encourage them to run with them waving their arms around

Use bikes etc for pushing and pulling , develop control and co-ordination , encourage them to steer and dodge things make a course for them to dodge around

Have sports day whatever the weather - encourage jumping , climbing and skipping

Make circles or shapes on the ground with chalk and encourage children to jump over them.

Play balance games and encourage children to balance bean bags on their heads

Play pirates of follow the leader games

Go for a run in the park , find some grassy slopes and encourage the children to roll down them ask how fast they go etc

Ask them to observe what happened did they feel hot or cold

Did their heart beat fast etc?

Use different size balls and bean bags, throw, and catch , play target games like skittles etc for hand/eye coordination

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Sing whist rocking on see-saw, ring games to feel the rhythm and build up memory of simple songs

Use scarves, streamers, hoops(and other props) to dance more freely in greater space than afforded indoors

Use natural materials (twigs, pebbles, pieces of wood) to create sculptures or pictures on the ground

Use boxes etc and climb inside hiding - make a den use blankets, tents etc use ideas for imaginative role play

Use the climbing frame to climb over pretend its a bridge etc , do this in the garden or park

What about taking some music outside with homemade instruments?

Encourage children to dance and sing using streamers or scarves

Laminate a list of the children's fave songs and games to take outside with you

PERSONAL , SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Share and take turns with the outdoor equipment work together - play team games - have races etc

Encourage children to put on their own outdoor clothes - fasten buttons , put on their own shoes and coats etc

Give the children lots of freedom and space to run around - give them space to be quite and hide in dens and tunnels etc

Teach children to care about others around them how to dodge them when they are on their bikes and not crash into other children

Care for others, dodging them on wheeled toys, comforting them when

hurt, helping with coats

Encourage them to comfort others if they are hurt

Encourage children to respect the toys outdoors and care for them by putting them away correctly show them how / where to put the equipment away

Encourage them to help clean up the sand etc after use with small brushes

Show children how to take more risks with adult supervision , climb higher , run faster , balance etc


MOST OF ALL HAVE FUN

Angel xx

[nell57]

Wow thank you

[michellethegooner]

wow u been busy lol thank u

[cherry]

Thanks Angel, you have been busy

[crazybones]

Thank you Angel. That is very helpful.

[hello kitty]

Thanks Angel, that look interesting.

[misst104]

You really are TOO GOOD to us Angel.

Thanks for that. Its great

Jo x x x

[nannysue]

My goodness Angel !! you've been busy. Thank you can't wait for the weather to improve so we can get outside more

[karenjoy]

Thank you Angel xxx

[DCMS]

Thanks very much Angel x

[elizabeth]

Thank you Angel I have printed it off to keep as a reference

[Mags]

Thankyou Angel, i have also printed this off....some nice ideas there, thanks for sharing.x

[mummyroysof3]

thank you for that

charlotte x

[Allie]

Great ideas, I didn't relise you could print things from these pages


Allie

[miffy]

Thank you Angel

Miffy xx

[loocyloo]

very useful. thank you.

xxx

[Monkey1]

Thank you Angel! I am busy planning my undercover area that HUnky Monkey is MENT to be making this week!

[sparkibobs]

Fantastic!!!!!!! Thanks
you're an

[Lick'le Oakes]

Fantastic - Thank you

[beerheaven]

That's great. Thanks for all your hard work!