Outdoor learning offers a dynamic way to teach essential number concepts to young students. By taking lessons outside, you can turn ordinary activities into exciting educational experiences that help students grasp mathematical ideas in a hands-on and memorable way. Below are 10 of our favorite outdoor lessons for teaching a variety of number concepts.
1: Subtraction Olympics – Column Subtraction
The “Column Subtraction Olympics with and without Decimals” resource on Educate Outside turns subtraction practice into an engaging outdoor activity that combines physical exercise with mathematical problem-solving. Students participate in a series of subtraction challenges where they solve problems both with and without decimals, using a column subtraction method. This activity encourages teamwork, quick thinking, and reinforces arithmetic skills in a fun, competitive environment. By taking math lessons outside, students get to move around while deepening their understanding of subtraction, making the learning process more dynamic and enjoyable.
Download the practical subtraction lesson here.
2: Ordering Fractions Cards
Looking for a fun way to help kids master fractions? Our Ordering Fractions Cards: Finding Common Denominators pack is just what you need! With three levels of difficulty, these cards are perfect for hands-on practice, whether you’re working with a whole class, small groups, or even at home. Kids will love the interactive activities, like sorting cards or going on a fraction scavenger hunt, all while getting better at finding common denominators. It’s a great way to make learning fractions easy and enjoyable!
Download the activity pack here.
3: Measure and Add – Outdoor Column Addition Lesson
Looking for a fun way to combine math practice with outdoor exploration? Our Measure and Add – Column Addition activity is perfect for students to sharpen their addition and measurement skills while enjoying the outdoors. With three levels of challenge, students will measure items they find outside and then use column addition to add the lengths together. This resource is versatile, engaging, and a great way to make math hands-on and interactive, whether you’re teaching whole numbers or decimals. It’s a simple yet effective way to bring learning to life!
Download the resource here.
4: Outdoor Estimation Lesson – How Much Time?
Our Estimation: How Much Time is perfect for teaching students to estimate and calculate time. In this activity, students are challenged to complete a task for a specified duration, estimate when to stop, and then calculate the difference between their estimate and the actual time. With two levels of differentiation—one with time conversions and one without—this resource is ideal for honing time management skills in an engaging way. Perfect for classroom or outdoor learning!
Download this activity here.
5: Outdoor Division Task Cards
Tired of teaching long division indoors? Why not take the lesson outside with the “Division Problems Task Cards: Long Division & Measuring” resource from Educate Outside! This activity brings long division to life by combining it with practical measurement tasks that get students moving and thinking critically in an outdoor environment. Each task card presents a division problem that students solve using real measurements they take in nature, making math both fun and relevant. It’s a fantastic way to reinforce division skills while also teaching measurement concepts in a hands-on, engaging way.
Check out the full resource here.
6: Outdoor Multiplication Lesson – Active Multiplication
Give your multiplication lessons a boost with the “Multiplication Active Stations” resource from Educate Outside! This activity transforms the traditional classroom approach by turning multiplication practice into a lively outdoor experience. Students rotate through different stations where they solve multiplication problems through physical challenges and engaging tasks, making math both active and fun. This hands-on approach helps reinforce multiplication skills while keeping students energized and focused. Ideal for breaking up the monotony of indoor lessons, this resource offers a fresh way to teach multiplication.
Explore the full activity here.
7: Conversion Pair Cards: Reinforce Units of Measure with Scavenger Hunts and Games
Get your students actively converting units of measure with these engaging Conversion Pair Cards! Perfect for a variety of activities, including an outdoor scavenger hunt, these cards offer plenty of practice in converting between millimeters, centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, grams, and kilograms. Designed to make learning fun, these cards will help reinforce measurement conversions in a hands-on, interactive way.
Download the conversion cards here.
8: Outdoor Percentage Lesson
Engage your students in a hands-on activity that combines sorting leaves with learning about percentages, fractions, and decimals. This outdoor activity encourages students to collect and categorize leaves, then convert between percentages, decimals, and fractions, reinforcing their math skills in a fun and interactive way.
Download the outdoor percentage worksheets here.
9: Outdoor Ratio Lesson – Transport Tally
Put on some high vis jackets and investigate the traffic in your local area with this data handling activity where your students will count and record the amount and types of traffic passing a chosen area. They will record their results in a visual tally chart. This is a great investigation to aid discussion on global warming and local issues. For the older children you can go onto looking at ratio based on the results collected.
Download the lesson resources here.
10: Outdoor Place Value Lesson – Number Partitioning
Our Place Value with Sticks,Leaves and stones resource is a fantastic hands-on activity that takes learning outdoors. In this engaging exercise, students use natural materials like stones, sticks, and leaves to represent hundreds, tens, and ones, helping them to partition and understand numbers in a practical way. Perfect for reinforcing place value concepts, this activity encourages students to physically manipulate materials to build numbers, making abstract math concepts more tangible. With differentiated worksheets included, this resource is adaptable for different skill levels and works well for both individual and paired activities. It’s a fun, interactive way to make math learning stick—literally!
Download the lesson here.
Outdoor learning offers a dynamic way to teach essential number concepts to young students. By taking lessons outside, you can turn ordinary activities into exciting educational experiences that help students grasp mathematical ideas in a hands-on and memorable way. Below are 10 of our favorite outdoor lessons for teaching a variety of number concepts.
1: Subtraction Olympics – Column Subtraction
The “Column Subtraction Olympics with and without Decimals” resource on Educate Outside turns subtraction practice into an engaging outdoor activity that combines physical exercise with mathematical problem-solving. Students participate in a series of subtraction challenges where they solve problems both with and without decimals, using a column subtraction method. This activity encourages teamwork, quick thinking, and reinforces arithmetic skills in a fun, competitive environment. By taking math lessons outside, students get to move around while deepening their understanding of subtraction, making the learning process more dynamic and enjoyable.
Download the practical subtraction lesson here.
2: Ordering Fractions Cards
Looking for a fun way to help kids master fractions? Our Ordering Fractions Cards: Finding Common Denominators pack is just what you need! With three levels of difficulty, these cards are perfect for hands-on practice, whether you’re working with a whole class, small groups, or even at home. Kids will love the interactive activities, like sorting cards or going on a fraction scavenger hunt, all while getting better at finding common denominators. It’s a great way to make learning fractions easy and enjoyable!
Download the activity pack here.
3: Measure and Add – Outdoor Column Addition Lesson
Looking for a fun way to combine math practice with outdoor exploration? Our Measure and Add – Column Addition activity is perfect for students to sharpen their addition and measurement skills while enjoying the outdoors. With three levels of challenge, students will measure items they find outside and then use column addition to add the lengths together. This resource is versatile, engaging, and a great way to make math hands-on and interactive, whether you’re teaching whole numbers or decimals. It’s a simple yet effective way to bring learning to life!
Download the resource here.
4: Outdoor Estimation Lesson – How Much Time?
Our Estimation: How Much Time is perfect for teaching students to estimate and calculate time. In this activity, students are challenged to complete a task for a specified duration, estimate when to stop, and then calculate the difference between their estimate and the actual time. With two levels of differentiation—one with time conversions and one without—this resource is ideal for honing time management skills in an engaging way. Perfect for classroom or outdoor learning!
Download this activity here.
5: Outdoor Division Task Cards
Tired of teaching long division indoors? Why not take the lesson outside with the “Division Problems Task Cards: Long Division & Measuring” resource from Educate Outside! This activity brings long division to life by combining it with practical measurement tasks that get students moving and thinking critically in an outdoor environment. Each task card presents a division problem that students solve using real measurements they take in nature, making math both fun and relevant. It’s a fantastic way to reinforce division skills while also teaching measurement concepts in a hands-on, engaging way.
Check out the full resource here.
6: Outdoor Multiplication Lesson – Active Multiplication
Give your multiplication lessons a boost with the “Multiplication Active Stations” resource from Educate Outside! This activity transforms the traditional classroom approach by turning multiplication practice into a lively outdoor experience. Students rotate through different stations where they solve multiplication problems through physical challenges and engaging tasks, making math both active and fun. This hands-on approach helps reinforce multiplication skills while keeping students energized and focused. Ideal for breaking up the monotony of indoor lessons, this resource offers a fresh way to teach multiplication.
Explore the full activity here.
7: Conversion Pair Cards: Reinforce Units of Measure with Scavenger Hunts and Games
Get your students actively converting units of measure with these engaging Conversion Pair Cards! Perfect for a variety of activities, including an outdoor scavenger hunt, these cards offer plenty of practice in converting between millimeters, centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, grams, and kilograms. Designed to make learning fun, these cards will help reinforce measurement conversions in a hands-on, interactive way.
Download the conversion cards here.
8: Outdoor Percentage Lesson
Engage your students in a hands-on activity that combines sorting leaves with learning about percentages, fractions, and decimals. This outdoor activity encourages students to collect and categorize leaves, then convert between percentages, decimals, and fractions, reinforcing their math skills in a fun and interactive way.
Download the outdoor percentage worksheets here.
9: Outdoor Ratio Lesson – Transport Tally
Put on some high vis jackets and investigate the traffic in your local area with this data handling activity where your students will count and record the amount and types of traffic passing a chosen area. They will record their results in a visual tally chart. This is a great investigation to aid discussion on global warming and local issues. For the older children you can go onto looking at ratio based on the results collected.
Download the lesson resources here.
10: Outdoor Place Value Lesson – Number Partitioning
Our Place Value with Sticks,Leaves and stones resource is a fantastic hands-on activity that takes learning outdoors. In this engaging exercise, students use natural materials like stones, sticks, and leaves to represent hundreds, tens, and ones, helping them to partition and understand numbers in a practical way. Perfect for reinforcing place value concepts, this activity encourages students to physically manipulate materials to build numbers, making abstract math concepts more tangible. With differentiated worksheets included, this resource is adaptable for different skill levels and works well for both individual and paired activities. It’s a fun, interactive way to make math learning stick—literally!
Download the lesson here.
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