Exploring & Moving

Language & Literacy Maps & directions
Mathematics Geometry & position
Science & Discovery Habitats & ecosystems
Social-Emotional Learning Independence & courage

At a Glance

This Month

June is the outdoor month. The weather is warm, the days are long, and the curriculum moves outside. Maps, movement, habitats, and the child's own neighbourhood become the classroom.

This Week Maps & Directions

Spatial reasoning is geography at its most fundamental — drawing a map of a familiar space and following direction clues develops the same thinking that supports both maths and real-world navigation.

  • 💭 What is the most important thing to put on a map — and what could you leave out?
  • 💭 How do you think people found their way before maps were invented?
  • 💭 If you made a map of your whole day instead of a place, what would it look like?
  • 💭 Why do you think all maps show north at the top — does it have to be that way?
Today

Pick any activity from Core Experiences or Skill Builders below.

Month Overview

June is the outdoor month. The weather is warm, the days are long, and the curriculum moves outside. Maps, movement, habitats, and the child's own neighbourhood become the classroom.

Key Language & Literacy

Directional language, map reading, environmental print

Reading a map is reading. Environmental print — signs, labels, directions — is literacy in the real world.

Key Mathematics

Geometry, position words, spatial reasoning

Above, below, beside, between, left, right. Movement and maps teach geometry through the body.

Key Science & Discovery + Social-Emotional Learning

Local habitats, mini-beasts, independence and courage

June asks the child to explore independently (with supervision), take safe risks, and develop physical confidence.

June is the most physical month of the year. Some of the most important learning this month happens in children's bodies, not on paper. Trust the outdoor experiences to do their work. It can be difficult for caregivers who measure progress in visible outputs — there is no finished page to point to after an adventure course. But watching a child scramble over something that once scared them, and choose to try again, is evidence of something real.

This month's 20 experiences are designed for 3–5 learning sessions per week over 4 weeks. Adjust pacing based on your child's engagement and your family schedule.

↓ Setup & Planning — readiness, materials, zones & daily rhythm

Weekly Plan

Week 1 Maps & Directions

Spatial reasoning is geography at its most fundamental — drawing a map of a familiar space and following direction clues develops the same thinking that supports both maths and real-world navigation.

What You May Need 12 items
Direction Treasure Hunt
Tying a Simple Knot
Gross Motor Obstacle Course
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Preparing Trail Mix for an Adventure
Weekend extension

Give direction instructions at home using left/right language; make a simple treasure map for a fun indoor hunt.

Draw a simple map of one room from memory — no peeking — then compare it to the actual room.

Rainy day

Draw a map of your home instead of your street — the direction and spatial reasoning skills are exactly the same.

  • 💭 What is the most important thing to put on a map — and what could you leave out?
  • 💭 How do you think people found their way before maps were invented?
  • 💭 If you made a map of your whole day instead of a place, what would it look like?
  • 💭 Why do you think all maps show north at the top — does it have to be that way?

If your child is using directional language naturally — 'go left at the tree,' 'it's behind the shed' — their spatial understanding is strong and ready for formal map work.

Skill Builders

Short, low-prep activities that reinforce what your child is learning this month. Slot them in between core experiences or use them on lighter days.

Week 1 4 activities

Compass Directions Discovery

Develop spatial thinking and directional language through Compass Directions.

What to say Try: 'Stand here and face the morning sun — that direction is east. Now turn to face the opposite way. What do you think that direction is called?'
What to look for Child uses directional vocabulary (north, south, east, west) spontaneously during the activity and begins to orient themselves using landmarks or the sun rather than needing adult guidance.
Connects to: Key Science & Discovery + Social-Emotional Learning
Shape Hunt Practice

Consolidate key skills through Shape Hunt, reinforcing learning from earlier in the month.

What to say Try: 'Let's go on a shape hunt outside — can you find something that's a perfect circle? What about a rectangle? Where do you think shapes hide in a garden?'
What to look for Child searches purposefully rather than randomly, names shapes using geometric vocabulary, and notices shapes in unexpected places — a manhole cover, a windowpane, the edge of a leaf.
Connects to: Key Language & Literacy
Neighbourhood Walk Practice

Consolidate key skills through Neighbourhood Walk, reinforcing learning from earlier in the month.

What to say Try: 'As we walk, let's notice five things we've never really looked at before — a crack in a wall, a strange plant, a sign. What's something you walk past every day but never really see?'
What to look for Child slows down to notice detail rather than rushing past, generates their own observations and questions unprompted, and makes connections between what they see and things they've been learning about.
Connects to: Key Language & Literacy
ABC Review Literacy Review

Revisit all letters learned so far through multi-sensory activities — tracing, matching, and sorting. Then take the learning outside and look for letters on signs, labels, and packaging. Environmental print shows children that letters are everywhere and reading has immediate real-world purpose.

What to say Try: 'Can you find a letter on this sign and tell me its name AND its sound? What word does it start?'
What to look for Child recalls letter names and sounds across the full alphabet without needing the card as a prompt; may spontaneously point out letters in the environment and name them unprompted.
Connects to: Key Language & Literacy

Week 2 4 activities

Insect Classification Discovery

Investigate Insect Classification through observation, sorting, and hands-on nature exploration.

What to say Try: 'This creature has six legs — what does that tell us about what kind of animal it is? What would we call a creature with eight legs?'
What to look for Child applies the classification rules (six legs = insect, eight = spider) independently rather than needing to be reminded, and begins to generate their own questions about creatures that don't fit neatly into categories.
Connects to: Key Science & Discovery + Social-Emotional Learning
Count Legs Maths

Build number confidence with Count Legs, using hands-on objects to make counting concrete.

What to say Try: 'Let's count the legs on this creature together — touch each leg as we count. If we found three of these, how many legs would we be counting altogether?'
What to look for Child counts legs accurately with one-to-one correspondence and begins to extend the thinking — multiplying, predicting totals for multiple creatures — showing maths thinking woven naturally into the observation.
Connects to: Key Mathematics
Habitat Sort Maths

Develop classification thinking through Habitat Sort, grouping by colour, shape, or size.

What to say Try: 'Which of these creatures do you think lives in the soil? Which prefers to be in water? What clues does the creature's body give you about where it belongs?'
What to look for Child uses physical features of animals (body shape, moisture preference, legs) as evidence for habitat decisions rather than guessing randomly, and can articulate why a creature belongs where they placed it.
Connects to: Key Mathematics
Map Labels Literacy

Practise reading and writing labels by creating a simple map with written place names, building print awareness and purposeful writing.

What to say Try: 'Can you write the name of each place on your map so someone else could read it? What sounds do you hear in that word?'
What to look for Child attempts to write familiar place names using letter-sound knowledge; may spell short words conventionally and longer words phonetically. Writing shows left-to-right directionality and letter formation confidence.
Connects to: Key Language & Literacy

Week 3 4 activities

Direction Following Discovery

Follow and give directions using positional language — over, under, beside, between, through. Play movement games where the child must direct you, then reverse roles. Cement spatial vocabulary through the body before expecting it on paper.

What to say Try: 'Now you give me the directions — I'll follow exactly what you say. If I go the wrong way, that means your instruction needs to be more precise. Ready?'
What to look for Child gives clear directional instructions using precise positional language and adjusts their language when you misunderstand — self-correcting their communication shows confident spatial thinking.
Connects to: Key Science & Discovery + Social-Emotional Learning
Measurement Course Maths

Explore informal measurement through Measurement Course, comparing lengths, heights, or distances.

What to say Try: 'How many of your footsteps is it from the gate to the tree? Now how many of my footsteps? Why did we get a different number for the same distance?'
What to look for Child makes the conceptual leap that different-sized measuring units give different numbers for the same object — this understanding is the foundation of all standard measurement thinking.
Connects to: Key Mathematics
Balance & Spatial Discovery

Explore Balance & Spatial through physical play, building body awareness and spatial reasoning.

What to say Try: 'Before you try the balance beam, what does your body need to do to stay on? Can you feel your feet talking to your brain right now?'
What to look for Child makes deliberate physical adjustments — slowing down, extending arms, lowering their centre — rather than rushing and falling; shows body awareness and self-directed problem-solving through movement.
Connects to: Key Science & Discovery + Social-Emotional Learning
Shape Riddles Maths

Identify and describe 2D and 3D shapes through riddles and games, building geometric vocabulary and spatial reasoning.

What to say Try: 'I'm thinking of a shape with four equal sides and four corners — can you name it AND find one outside in our garden?'
What to look for Child uses precise geometric language (sides, corners, flat, curved) rather than approximate descriptions; can identify both 2D and 3D shapes and may connect shape names to real objects in the environment.
Connects to: Key Mathematics

Week 4 3 activities

Ecosystem Walk Discovery

Explore Ecosystem Walk to understand how living things depend on each other in nature.

What to say Try: 'If we removed every bee from this walk, what else do you think would change? What do the bees depend on, and what depends on them?'
What to look for Child reasons about connections between organisms — thinking in chains and webs rather than isolated facts — and sustains this ecological thinking across several examples without prompting.
Connects to: Key Science & Discovery + Social-Emotional Learning
Count & Record Maths

Build number confidence with Count & Record, using hands-on objects to make counting concrete.

What to say Try: 'Tally every creature we spot on this walk — one mark per sighting. At the end, which creature did we see the most? Which the least? Can you tell just from looking at the tally?'
What to look for Child uses tally marks consistently, reads the tally to make comparisons, and interprets the data to draw conclusions — moving beyond counting into genuine data thinking.
Connects to: Key Mathematics
Food Chain Intro Discovery

Explore Food Chain Intro to understand how living things depend on each other in nature.

What to say Try: 'The snail eats the leaf. The thrush eats the snail. What eats the thrush? And what made the leaf in the first place? Let's trace the whole chain back to the sun.'
What to look for Child traces a food chain in both directions — following what eats what, and what is eaten by what — and begins to understand that energy flows through living things rather than just between them.
Connects to: Key Science & Discovery + Social-Emotional Learning

Maths in Everyday Life

Number sense doesn't need a table — it lives in daily routines. Try a few of these this month:

  • Treasure Hunt: count the steps between clues — pacing as non-standard measurement.
  • Obstacle course: time how long it takes in 'elephant steps' or 'bunny hops' rather than seconds.
  • Mini-beast hunt: tally each type of creature found — tallying and comparing sets in context.
  • Shadow tracing: compare the length of your shadow at 9am versus 2pm — measuring and comparing.
  • Map making: count how many rooms or zones are on your map — spatial counting.
  • Bedtime position: 'Describe where your teddy is using position words — on top of, next to, between, under.'
  • Outdoor pacing: 'Measure the garden using your footsteps. How many footsteps wide? How many long?'
  • Trail mix maths: 'Put in 5 raisins, 3 nuts, and 2 chocolate chips per cup. How many pieces altogether?'
Setup & Planning

Readiness

June's Learning Experiences are designed to challenge physical and cognitive confidence together.

Ages 3–4
  • Names left and right with support
  • Identifies familiar bugs and animals

Skill arc focus:

  • Uses directional words (over, under, next to, behind, beside) with support
  • Counts and records small amounts; recognises basic 2D shapes (circle, square, triangle)
Ages 4–5
  • Identifies left and right with growing confidence in familiar activities
  • Names and sorts familiar bugs and small creatures by type with minimal prompting
Ages 5–6
  • Classifies insects, spiders, and worms by number of legs and habitat
  • Reads a simple map and follows multi-step directional instructions independently
  • Plans and narrates a movement course, using positional and directional language

Skill arc focus:

  • Reads and follows multi-step directions using left, right, above, below
  • Creates simple maps or floor plans; classifies shapes by properties

Set the Stage

Learning Zones

Morning Circle

Take Morning Circle outside this month when weather allows. Begin with a direction check: which way is the sun this morning?

Reading Nook

Add field guides, insect identification books, and adventure stories. Move the nook near a window or outside.

Creation Table

Set up map-making, insect observation drawing, and nature collage. Bring collections inside to draw and label.

Discovery Station

Create a 'bug hotel' from recycled materials. Check it daily for residents.

Skill arc adjustments for your position:

  • Morning Circle: Post a simple directional reference card (left/right arrows) at child height. Begin each morning with a direction check — point to where the sun is rising and name the compass point. Display a floor plan or local map to reference throughout the month.
  • Creation Table: Set up a dedicated mapping corner with the arc's large blank paper, pencils, and the directional reference card. Keep any maps-in-progress on display here — children return to them to add detail as the month progresses.

🏠 Learning in a Small Space

  • The Direction Treasure Hunt works in a single room — three clues is enough for ages 3–5.
  • Bug Hotel can be built in a small pot or a recycled tin and placed on a balcony or outside a window.
  • The Adventure Course can use sofa cushions, a rolled-up towel for a balance beam, and a hoop made from a belt.
  • Map Making needs only one sheet of paper and a pencil — your immediate home is the territory.

Music Suggestions

  • June is the movement month — use music actively during the adventure course, not just as background
  • Songs with directional language ("turn around," "step to the left") make learning positional vocabulary physical and joyful
  • Nature sound recordings — birds, insects, running water — can play during outdoor sessions or when bringing nature inside for closer observation

Rabbit Trail

Where does your child want to go and what do they want to discover this month? June is all about outdoor movement and exploration — follow the direction their curiosity is already pointing.

  • If they're obsessed with a specific mini-beast (ladybirds, worms, beetles), build the Bug Hotel for that creature specifically — research its needs and design accordingly.
  • If they want to explore a new outdoor location, map it. The Map Making and Direction Treasure Hunt experiences work with any space: a park, a grandparent's garden, a car park.
  • If they love physical challenges, add a timing element to the Adventure Course: how fast can you complete it? Beat your own time — maths, movement, and self-regulation.

Daily Rhythm

Match the session length to your day — everything else stays the same.

Full Day 75–90 min
  1. Outdoor Morning Circle
  2. Outdoor Core Experience
  3. Bug Check or Map Work
  4. Read-Aloud (under a tree if possible)
  5. Indoor Follow-Up
  6. Closing Ritual Outside
Short Session 30–40 min
  1. Outdoor Morning Circle
  2. Core Experience The main hands-on activity for this session
  3. Read-Aloud A picture book connected to the week's theme
Low-Energy Day 15 min

Pick one:

  1. Sit outside for 10 minutes and count every living thing you can see. You will always find more than you expected.
  2. Look closely at one small natural thing — a leaf, a snail, a pebble — and draw it as carefully as you can.
  3. Follow a set of simple movement instructions together: three steps forward, turn right, hop twice. Then swap who gives directions.
Just Life no schedule needed

These are not learning activities — and that is the point.

  • Meals & snacks together
  • Outdoor free play
  • Rest or nap time
  • Screen time (if used)
  • Errands, chores, and everyday life
Month Reflection

Progress Tracker & Reflection

This tracker is for your own quiet observation — not a report card. Mark what you notice. Three levels are available for each milestone: Exploring (just starting to engage), Growing (doing it with some support), and Flying (doing it confidently and independently). There is no wrong answer. Every child moves at their own pace.

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