100 Skills Every Young Outdoor Explorer Should Know (Digital Checklist)

There is something special about learning how to do things for yourself outdoors.

Knowing how to read a map, put up a shelter, light a fire, recognise a tree, tie a useful knot or simply work out which way to go gives children more than another skill to add to a list. It helps them become more confident, curious and capable, while giving them a reason to put down the screen and spend time discovering the world around them.

This checklist is designed to help young outdoor explorers build those skills one step at a time. There is no need to rush through all 100. Pick a skill, learn how it works, have a go and come back when you’re ready for the next one.

Why Outdoor Skills Matter

Children learn by doing. When they are outdoors, they have opportunities to make decisions, solve problems, try things that don’t always work first time and discover that they are capable of more than they thought.

Outdoor skills also give children a reason to explore. Instead of simply walking through a woodland, they might start looking for animal tracks, identifying trees, reading the landscape or working out where north is. A familiar place can suddenly become somewhere full of things to discover.

These experiences can build confidence in a very natural way. Successfully tying a knot, navigating to a checkpoint or helping to put up a tent might seem like small achievements, but each one gives a child another piece of evidence that they can learn something new and figure things out for themselves.

The Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors

Spending time outdoors isn’t just about learning practical skills. It gives children the chance to move, explore, notice their surroundings and experience different environments and weather.

Outdoor adventures can encourage curiosity and creativity. A stick can become part of a shelter, a fallen leaf can lead to a question about trees, and a simple walk can turn into a navigation challenge.

There is also an important sense of independence that comes from gradually taking responsibility for yourself outdoors. Packing your own bag, checking the weather, looking after your equipment or helping around camp all teach useful habits that can carry into everyday life.

Perhaps most importantly, outdoor experiences create memories. Children are far more likely to remember the day they successfully cooked something over a campfire, found their way using a map or built their first shelter than they are to remember another ordinary afternoon indoors.

How to Use This Checklist

There is no right age or particular order for completing these skills. Every young person is different, and some skills will be easier than others.

Use the checklist as a collection of ideas rather than a test. Some skills can be learned in the garden, some on a family walk and others during a camping trip or organised outdoor activity.

If a skill is new, learn it first. Then practise it until you feel comfortable doing it. Once you’ve got the hang of it, tick it off and move on to something else.

Members can use the digital checklist below to keep track of their progress. Your completed skills are saved to your account, so you can come back and see how far you’ve travelled.

Your 100 Outdoor Skills Checklist

Your journey starts here.

Work through the skills at your own pace. You don’t have to complete them in order, and there is no time limit. Every skill you learn is another step towards becoming a more confident and capable outdoor explorer.

Keep Exploring

Completing the checklist isn’t the end of your outdoor skills journey. In fact, it’s really just the beginning.

Every skill on this list can lead to something else. Learning to read a map can lead to planning your own route. Learning about trees can lead to learning which woods are useful for different bushcraft projects. Learning to cook outdoors can lead to planning a whole camp meal. Learning a knot can lead to building something useful at camp.

Don’t worry about becoming an expert straight away. Outdoor skills are built through experience. The more time you spend outside, the more you notice, and the more you learn.

Pick a skill. Have a go. Learn something new. Then find the next adventure.