Writing outdoors in EYFS is an impactful way to encourage children to start writing practice in a relaxed and engaging way. Children at a young age will start mark making, which can be done outdoors using a variety of natural surfaces and materials that make learning fun while developing fine and gross motor skills.
Let’s explore the benefits and different ways you can encourage writing outdoors in EYFS!
Benefits of Writing Outdoors in EYFS
Writing outdoors in EYFS offers numerous benefits that support key areas of children’s development, including the following:
- Encourages Mark-Making & Early Writing: Using natural materials such as sticks and mud can inspire mark-making, whereas large-scale writing strengthens fine and gross motor skills.
- Develops Fine & Gross Motor Skills: Writing on different surfaces improves grip strength and movement-based writing, e.g. tracing letters in the air, builds control.
- Enhances Creativity & Imagination: Being outdoors can inspire storytelling and descriptive writing, incorporating nature into their own stories.
- Supports Communication & Language Development: Encouraging children to discuss their environment encourages vocab expansion. Incorporating collaborative writing and storytelling outdoors in EYFS can aid social interaction with peers.
- Engages Reluctant Writers: Some children struggle to concentrate indoors, whereas writing outdoors may encourage motivation. Being outdoors is more informal, so children often feel more relaxed in a less pressured environment.
- Links Learning to Real-World Experiences: Observing nature encourages children to write about what they’re seeing the world around them. You can also incorporate small tasks such as labelling plants, which makes learning more meaningful.
- Boosts Well-being & Enjoyment: Having the fresh air outdoors can improve mood and engagement with the writing task.
Find out more about the benefits of outdoor play in EYFS.
How To Encourage Writing Outdoors in EYFS
Outdoor Storytelling Area
Including an outdoor story-telling area can encourage children to socialise and share stories. EYFS children can learn turn-taking, listening, speaking and creativity skills. Having an outdoor area dedicated to telling stories can also encourage children and give them the confidence to share their imaginative ideas with the class.
Ideas to include in your storytelling area:
- Story co-creation: Form a circle and go around creating a story together. Each child can say a few words to progress the story next.
- Story stones: Each child can decorate a stone that forms a story when placed together.
- Nature storytelling: Children can utilise outdoor materials to inspire and create a story together.
Mud Kitchens
Mud kitchens are a way of incorporating hands-on play and encouraging writing within this. You can encourage children to create menus, write signs, write labels or make a simple story about their kitchen.
Mark-Making
Mark-making is the first step to children writing letters, words and numbers. It will start by simply doing the notion of writing. For EYFS, this is an important stage of writing development and writing outdoors can help children develop their control and grip strength.
You can use a variety of materials to implement mark-making outdoors, including:
- Chalk
- Mud writing
- Paint
- Water on the pavement
- Leaf and stick letters
- Spray bottles on fences or the ground
Utilise Playground Surfaces
Different playground surfaces can be incorporated into your outdoor writing. Many surfaces are suitable for children to make markings and write on that can easily be removed.
Choose a sandpit for children to trace letters in dry or damp sand. This can be easily wiped away, allowing children to have fun, make mistakes and practice over and over. Utilising a variety of textures is also a great way to include sensory play in the activity.
Educational Activity Panels
A range of activity panels in your playground is a space-saving area that can encourage literacy learning outdoors. These can be used in a variety of ways including letter tracing guides, interactive phonics activities or magnetic letters and moveable pieces.
Activity panels are waterproof and durable to withstand changing outdoor weather, making them a staple to add to your playground.
EYFS Playgrounds With Sovereign Play
Here at Sovereign Play, we specialise in designing playgrounds for nurseries and schools. We will manage the full lifecycle for you, from initial design to installation and aftercare and beyond.
To enquire about a full new playground or if you’re looking to redesign a specific area, contact us online for a free quotation or call us on 01702 804200 for more information.
If you are in the early stages of sourcing a new playground, see our handy brochures section, including available grants and funding guide.
