The outside environment allows them to follow their own interests, while the practitioner’s role is vital in engaging in maths talk and being an active play partner.
This is the second in our series of blogs, created with our friends at Yellow Door, sharing simple games for small groups around key areas of learning. This time the focus is on four easy-to-implement activities exploring maths outdoors! The activities are also available to download, making them easy to share with colleagues and use with different groups of children at the same time.
Buckets and Balls
This simple game idea is not only lots of fun but will encourage children to develop their problem-solving skills.
What you need:
Download the full activity here.
Hide and Count!
This activity can be linked with planting outside and learning about growing different types of seeds.
What you need:
- A variety of empty plant pots
- Large seeds or planting beans, such as broad beans
Download the full activity here.
Ten Empty Bottles Standing in a Row
Lots of playful opportunities for exploring number, this activity idea can also be adapted to learn number bonds to 10.
What you need:
- Empty plastic drinks bottles
- Number labels
- Pebbles
Download the full activity here.
Make Shapes while the Sun Shines!
This is a fantastic activity for developing gross motor skills, as well as investigating shapes and evaporation!
What you need:
- Large bowls/buckets of water.
- A selection of brooms, mops, large paint brushes, sponges etc.
- Playground/concrete/patio slabs.
Download the full activity here.
Literacy is just as important as maths and can be taken outside too! Our first blog in this series from Yellow Door, 'Great games for outdoor literacy', focused on early literacy skills and includes four easy-to-implement ideas to create exciting, literate environments for learning.