The Seaside and Coasts – KS1 Geography Unit (6 Outstanding Lessons)

This KS1 geography unit introduces pupils to the seaside in the UK, covering natural and human features, activities, safety, and map skills. Designed for Year 1 or Year 2, the lessons build pupils’ understanding of coastal environments through practical tasks, discussion, and visual resources. **Included** ✔ 6 detailed lesson plans ✔ 6 PowerPoint presentations ✔ 28 printable resources including worksheets, maps, answer sheets and templates **Lesson Overview** ★ Lesson 1 – What Is the Seaside? Starter: Class discussion using beach photographs and a seaside word bank Main: Identify seaside features and locate resorts on a UK map Activity: Matching worksheet Plenary: Reflect on which resort they’d like to visit and why ★ Lesson 2 – Natural Features of the Seaside Starter: Quick recall quiz Main: Introduce physical features with images and definitions Activity: Collage-making with labelled features Plenary: ‘Guess the Feature’ game and vocabulary recap ★ Lesson 3 – Human Features of the Seaside Starter: Recap quiz and discussion Main: Identify built features using photographs and definitions Activity: Sorting challenge – natural vs human features Plenary: ‘Feature Riddles’ and reflection ★ Lesson 4 – Activities at the Seaside Starter: Quiz and discussion Main: Compare land and water-based activities Activity: Class survey and pictogram creation Plenary: ‘Land or Water?’ game and reflection ★ Lesson 5 – Using Maps and Compass Directions Starter: Quiz Main: Teach compass points and direction skills Activity: Direction challenges and design a seaside resort Plenary: ‘Compass Simon Says’ and discussion ★ Lesson 6 – Seaside Safety Starter: Quiz Main: Teach beach safety rules and flag meanings Activity: Create a safety poster Plenary: ‘Safe or Unsafe?’ game and final reflection ✔ Differentiated tasks for support and challenge ✔ Includes visual aids, templates, and vocabulary prompts ✔ Suitable for whole-class, small group, or individual work ✔ Covers geography, PSHE, and basic data handling **Ideal for:** ✔ KS1 geography topic on the seaside ✔ Year 1 or Year 2 coastal environments unit ✔ Map skills and compass directions ✔ PSHE safety discussions ✔ Cross-curricular links with art and maths Search tags: KS1 geography | UK seaside topic | Year 1 lesson plan | Year 2 geography | coastal features | seaside activities | map skills KS1 | outstanding geography unit | human and physical features KS1 | beach safety lesson KS1 | compass directions KS1 | UK coastal towns KS1 | seaside topic planning | KS1 summer term geography | outstanding KS1 resource | coastal geography