How Forest School supports all the areas of the Early Years
Foundation Stage (EYFS), not just physical development
Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
 Making relationships. It takes two to carry large branches and play hide
and seek.
 Self-confidence and self awareness. There is no right or wrong way to
use all the open-ended resources.
 Managing feelings and behaviour. The woodland can have a calming
effect, there is lots of space and many resources which will support
appropriate behaviour.
Communication and Language
 Listening and attention. Trees can absorb noisy sounds such as traffic
making it easier to listening for quieter sounds such as a snap of a
twig.
 Understanding. Children need to listen carefully to instructions about
how to stay safe.
 Speaking. There are no predefined toys in the woods so children need
to talk to others and explain their symbolic play such as this stick is
now a wand. Children love to share what they have found and discuss
what they have achieved. They love to recall their adventures in the
woods.
Physical Development
 Moving and handling. Walking, running, rolling, jumping over rough
terrain, slopes and logs, supports balance and coordination. Swinging
from branches, digging, climbing supports upper body strength. The
walk there and time spent playing can build greater stamina.
 Health and self care. Dressing for the outdoors, learning how to keep
themselves safe, how to risk assess such as road safety and testing
out the strength of a branch.
Literacy
 Reading. There are many stories set in woodland for the children to act
out.
 Writing. Children love to make marks in mud.
Mathematics
 Numbers. There are many found objects to count, tallies are easy to
make on logs and in mud.

Space shape and measure. There are many natural resources to
make pattern such as cones, stones, sticks and many reasons to sort
found objects. There are many opportunities for conversations about
length (sticks) height (climbing) weigh (logs).
Understanding the World
 People and communities. Getting out and about in their local
community give children opportunities to get to know and discuss what
they like and dislike. It can support map making.
 The World. Observation skills can be supported out in woodland.
Seasons, growing, decay can be observed. There any many new and
novel objects to comment on. Care and concern can be modelled to
living things, respect for their natural environment can be promoted.
 Technology. Magnifying glasses can be used to support observations,
pulleys can easily be made.
Creative Arts and Design
 Exploring and using media and materials. Mixing natural resources to
make mud pies. Using sticks and logs to make musical instruments.
 Being Imaginative. The resources are all open-ended encouraging
children to use their imagination such as logs to make a den, sticks to
make a fishing rod.
Characteristics of Learning
 Finding out and exploring, using all their senses.
 Willing to have a go, lots of opportunities to risk take and risk manage.
 Keeping trying. Promoting resilience, falling over, getting muddy.
 Enjoying achieving what they set out to do. There is no right or wrong
way to play with the open-ended resources.
 Having their own ideas. There are no prescribed toys
 Choosing ways to do things such as problem solving to make a
structure.