Outdoor learning has long been recognised as an essential component of high-quality early years practice. Yet in some settings, outdoor environments are not as well developed as indoor provision. This is often not due to a lack of commitment from practitioners, but a lack of time to access the outdoors (it is often not given the same status as indoor learning) because of misconceptions, conflicting advice and uncertainty about what constitutes effective outdoor learning.

In conversations with practitioners across the sector, it is not uncommon to hear that they have been advised that Nursery and Reception children should not share outdoor spaces, or that activities outdoors must replicate indoors.  Such advice can be difficult for less confident or experienced staff to challenge, particularly when it comes from trusted advisors or external consultants. However, there is an important distinction between statutory requirements, evidence-informed practice and personal opinion. As professionals, we must continually ask ourselves not only what we are being asked to do, but why.

When Advice Becomes Assumption

Many Early Years departments in Primary Schools share their outdoor area. However, since the inception of the 2019 Ofsted framework with its heavy focus on progression in the curriculum, some misconceptions have taken hold. A commonly cited reason for separating Nursery and Reception children outdoors is the belief that mixed-age provision makes it difficult to demonstrate progression. This view often stems from the misconception that progression is primarily achieved through different resources being provided for different age groups.

However, research evidence suggests that it’s not that simple and straightforward.  Research consistently demonstrates that the quality of adult-child interactions has a significant impact on children’s learning and development. The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) study highlighted the significance of sustained shared thinking and responsive adult interactions in supporting children’s cognitive development (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002). Resources alone do not create learning; it is what adults do with children that matters most. Progression is therefore not found within the resources themselves, but within the experiences, conversations, challenges and interactions that adults facilitate. The same construction materials, loose parts or role-play resources can support vastly different levels of thinking depending on how practitioners engage with children.

The Benefits of Mixed-Age Outdoor Learning

The notion that Nursery and Reception children cannot successfully share an outdoor environment is also challenged by a substantial body of research into mixed-age learning. Studies have identified social, emotional and cognitive benefits for both younger and older children when they learn alongside one another ( Katz, Evangelou and Hartman, 1990; Roopnarine and Johnson, 1984, 2000). Younger children benefit from observing more advanced skills and behaviours, while older children often develop confidence, leadership and communication skills through supporting younger peers.

In many ways, mixed-age provision mirrors the social structures children encounter within families and communities. Children naturally observe, imitate, teach and learn from one another. Rather than viewing mixed-age groups as a barrier to progression, they can be seen as a powerful mechanism for learning. Furthermore, a shared outdoor space often allows practitioners to create a richer, more purposeful environment. Instead of duplicating resources across multiple areas, settings can invest in developing high-quality provision that benefits all children.

Outdoor Learning does not mean require replication.

Another common misconception is that outdoor provision should replicate indoor provision, but this is not the case. Of course the statutory framework requires practitioners to provide opportunities across all seven areas of learning, regardless of where children choose to spend their time. If a child spends significant periods outdoors, they should still be able to access communication and language, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design, alongside physical development and personal, social and emotional development. But this does not mean placing indoor activities outside.

Effective outdoor learning should be distinct from indoor provision. It should be bigger, louder, messier, and more physical. Literacy outdoors might involve creating maps, signs, menus or messages, markmaking on large surfaces, developing shoulder girdle strength by climbing and crawling. Mathematics will emerge through transporting materials, measuring spaces, building structures or solving real-world problems. Communication and language flourish through shared projects, imaginative play and collaborative exploration.

The question practitioners should continually ask is:

“What learning do we want to happen here?”

Once that learning intention is clear, resources can be selected purposefully to support it.

Less Can Often Be More

When developing provision, there can be a temptation to provide large quantities of resources in the hope that children will engage meaningfully with them. In reality, an abundance of resources can sometimes overwhelm children and reduce the quality of interactions.

Children need time to learn how provision works. By reducing what is available in the initial stages of settling children into the classroom and focusing on a smaller number of carefully selected areas of provision, practitioners can explicitly model expectations and support children to understand how resources are used. Many settings have found success by focusing on simple routines. My mantra is “Choose it, use it, put it away.” Children need help and support to learn how to play with resources, how to share them, take turns with them and look after them properly. When adults consistently model these expectations, children develop increasing independence and responsibility for their learning environment. This approach also enables practitioners to focus less on managing resources and more on engaging with children.

Movement Matters: Why Children’s Bodies Need Outdoor Spaces

One of the greatest advantages of outdoor provision is the opportunity it provides for movement. While indoor environments can support physical development, outdoor spaces offer unique opportunities for children to move in ways that are bigger, more varied and more physically demanding.

This is increasingly important given what we know about children’s physical activity levels. NHS guidance recommends that children under five who can walk independently should be physically active for at least 180 minutes (three hours) each day, with a variety of activities spread throughout the day. This should include opportunities for energetic play that raises heart rate and develops strength, balance and coordination (NHS, 2023).

However, movement is about far more than physical fitness. Research into embodied cognition suggests that thinking and learning are not processes that occur solely within the brain. Rather, cognition is deeply connected to physical action and sensory experience. Children learn about concepts such as position, size, distance, direction, force and quantity through moving their bodies through space and interacting physically with the world around them (Wilson, 2002).

When a child climbs a hill, balances on a log, pushes a wheelbarrow or transports heavy objects, they are not simply developing muscles. They are building spatial awareness, body control and an understanding of how their body relates to the environment around them. These experiences contribute to the development of proprioceptive and vestibular systems, which help children understand where their bodies are in space and how to coordinate movement effectively.

This process is sometimes described as developing a “body map” , an internal understanding of the body’s position, movement and capabilities. A well-developed body map supports everything from self-regulation and coordination to handwriting, reading and mathematical thinking. Before children can confidently record ideas on paper, they must first develop an awareness of their bodies, control of their movements and the ability to coordinate both sides of the body together.

This is one reason why outdoor provision should not simply replicate indoor activities. Outdoor environments offer opportunities for climbing, carrying, digging, balancing, swinging, running, jumping and navigating uneven terrain. These experiences provide the sensory and motor foundations upon which later learning is built.

The relationship between movement and cognition can also be seen in language development. Young children frequently learn vocabulary through action before they fully understand verbal explanations. Concepts such as under, over, through, around, behind, near and far become meaningful because children have physically experienced them. Similarly, mathematical ideas such as distance, speed, capacity and comparison are often first encountered through movement and exploration.

If we accept that learning is embodied, then movement cannot be viewed as something separate from the curriculum. It is part of the curriculum, in fact in the EYFS it is a prime area of learning. Outdoor provision therefore plays a critical role not only in supporting physical development, but in creating the conditions through which children think, communicate and learn.

The Importance of Role Play Outdoors

One area that can sometimes be underdeveloped outdoors is role play. Outdoor role-play opportunities can provide rich contexts for language development, collaboration, imagination and problem-solving. The roots of early writing develop through symbolic play, where children pretend that one thing represents another. Early narratives and story telling can be supported by using flexible prop boxes that can be moved into different areas and allow children to take ownership of their play and make meaningful choices about how spaces are used.

A collection of clipboards, signs, uniforms, containers, telephones or open-ended materials can quickly transform a space into a veterinary surgery, building site, café, airport or rescue centre. Importantly, these opportunities create fertile ground for high-quality interactions between adults and children. Through joining play sensitively, practitioners can extend vocabulary, develop narrative skills, encourage problem-solving and support sustained shared thinking.

Interactions Matter

Ultimately, improving outdoor provision is not simply about purchasing new equipment or redesigning spaces. The greatest investment any setting can make is in developing practitioners’ understanding of learning through play and the importance of their interactions. Children learn through relationships. When practitioners play alongside children, follow their interests, ask thoughtful questions, model language and support exploration, learning becomes deeper and more meaningful. This requires adults to focus not solely on outcomes or products, but on the processes through which learning develops.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning remind us that children’s engagement, motivation, persistence, curiosity and thinking are central to their development. In many cases, these processes are more significant than the final product itself. An outdoor environment can only ever be as effective as the interactions that take place within it.

Moving Forward

Developing outdoor provision is not about creating an outdoor version of the indoor classroom. It is about creating an environment that complements indoor learning whilst offering experiences that can only truly happen outside.

Settings may wish to begin by:

• Ensuring that all seven areas of learning are reflected within outdoor provision.
• Focusing initially on developing one or  two core areas of provision rather than attempting to improve everything at once.
• Reducing the quantity of resources available at any one time when children are settling into settings,  so that adults can model their effective use.
• Developing flexible role-play opportunities that promote choice, independence and imagination.
• Strengthening practitioners’ understanding of learning through play and sustained shared thinking.
• Prioritising high-quality adult-child interactions as the primary driver of learning.

Perhaps most importantly, practitioners should feel empowered to question advice that limits possibilities for children. Effective early years practice is rooted in evidence, professional reflection and a deep understanding of how children learn. When we move beyond myths and misconceptions, outdoor environments can become powerful spaces for exploration, collaboration, creativity and growth.

References and further reading

Fagan, T. J. (2009). Younger and Older Together: Children’s Interactions in a Mixed-Age Early Childhood Centre. Victoria University of Wellington.

Glenberg, A. M. (2010). Embodiment as a unifying perspective for psychology. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 1(4), 586–596.

Goddard Blythe, S. (2011). The Well Balanced Child: Movement and Early Learning. Stroud: Hawthorn Press.

Katz, L. G., Evangelou, D., & Hartman, J. A. (1990). The Case for Mixed-Age Grouping in Early Childhood Education Programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

NHS (2023). Physical activity guidelines for children under 5 years. London: National Health Service.

Ratey, J. J. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. New York: Little, Brown.

 Roopnarine, J. L., & Johnson, J. E. (2000). Approaches to Early Childhood Education (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Siraj-Blatchford, I., Sylva, K., Muttock, S., Gilden, R. and Bell, D. (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY). London: DfES

Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I. and Taggart, B. (2010) Early Childhood Matters: Evidence from the Effective Pre-school and Primary Education Project. London: Routledge.

Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I. and Taggart, B. (2004) The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: Final Report. A Longitudinal Study Funded by the DfES 1997–2004 (Research Report No. SSU/FR/2004/01). London: Institute of Education, University of London/Department for Education and Skills

Wilson, M. (2002). Embodied cognition and cognitive science. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9(4), 625–636.

Winsler, A., Caverly, S. L., Willson-Quayle, A., Carlton, M. P., Howell, C., & Long, G. N. (2002). The social and behavioral ecology of mixed-age and same-age preschool classrooms: A natural experiment. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 23(3), 305–330.