OAA Activity Guide

Activity Overview

Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) in UK primary schools focus on simple problem-solving, navigation and teamwork tasks that get pupils thinking and moving outdoors. Typical activities include orienteering with basic maps, team challenges such as transporting an object without touching it, and problem-solving stations that require communication and planning. These tasks help children develop spatial awareness, cooperation, decision-making and resilience in a practical, active way. OAA also gives pupils a chance to explore their school grounds in new ways and build confidence in unfamiliar situations.

Below you’ll find key information on OAA, two free OAA Key Stage 2 lesson plans, and a range of free OAA resources suitable for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Key OAA Information

Age Range

OAA is taught to children in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2

❌ Foundation/Reception

✅ Key Stage 1

✅ Key Stage 2

Example Map Key

Orienteering and map reading are key elements of OAA. Map keys help pupils to interpret data and learn how complex information can be universally understood. Learning to read a map and use a map key is a core skill that can be developed in OAA lessons. At the link below we've provided a free example of a map key you can use with your students.

Map Key Resource

Free OAA Lesson Plan & Unit of Work

Year 6 OAA

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Use information given by others to complete tasks and work collaboratively. Undertake more complex tasks. Take responsibility for a role. Use knowledge of PE and physical activities to suggest design ideas & amendments to games.

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Year 6 OAA Lesson 4

Work cooperatively to solve team challenges.
Develop trust and control in partner/group movements.
Persevere to learn a new skill of tying a reef knot

We are learning: to work together, stay in control, and persevere when solving physical challenges.

Activity: Group and paired work, tying a reef knot

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Paid Subscriber Content

At the The PE Hub, we offer 36 OAA lesson plans, covering Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Lesson Plans are grouped into manageable units of work and designed to make it straightforward to teach the broad range of activities that fall under OAA.

All our lesson plans come with detailed downloadable resources as standard. We have more than 70 resources for OAA, covering a range of core OAA activities such as orienteering, map reading and even knot tying.

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OAA FAQs

Is OAA part of the primary PE national curriculum?

Yes. Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) are explicitly included at Key Stage 2, where the national curriculum states "Pupils should be taught to... take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team". OAA is an implied activity for Key Stage 1, based on the range of learning outcomes targeted for that age group.

Is OAA taught at Foundation / Reception level?

OAA isn’t a named EYFS activity, but many Reception-friendly tasks mirror OAA principles. Activities such as simple team challenges, following picture trails around the school grounds, or completing age-appropriate problem-solving tasks all build the communication, cooperation and exploration skills that feed into OAA at KS1.

What kinds of activities are typically included in OAA?

Typical OAA activities include basic orienteering using simplified maps, team problem-solving challenges, photo or clue trails, and simple communication tasks such as blindfold partner challenges. Most activities use the school grounds, require minimal setup, and focus on teamwork, planning, and working under simple constraints. Our example Y5 OAA Knowledge Organiser resource gives you a flavour of the types of challenge set for that age group, required equipment and learning outcomes.

What equipment do I need to teach OAA?

Most OAA tasks require minimal specialist equipment. A basic starter kit might include maps of school grounds, cones and markers, clue cards and objects for team challenges (balls, hoops, ropes). Many problem-solving activities can be delivered with commonly stocked PE or playground equipment.