Outdoor adventure education (OAE), transformative experience, and the Neuroception-Play-Integration (NPI) Cycle are integrated to propose a framework for designing play-based learning that supports adolescents' engagement, motivation, and learning. We argue that OAE functions as a developmentally appropriate form of play because it combines voluntary engagement, meaningful challenge, pleasure, mental activation, and structured but negotiable boundaries. When intentionally facilitated, these features may move learners through the NPI Cycle: environmental safety, neuroception of safety, activation of play circuitry, intrapersonal integration, and interpersonal co-regulation. We propose that these neurobiological and social processes create the conditions under which transformative experience becomes possible. The proposed Outdoor Adventure Education–Transformative Experience - Play (OAE-TE-P) framework offers theoretical and practical guidance for educators designing adventure-based programs. Future mixed-methods research should empirically test the framework, examine mechanisms linking play and transformation, and develop inclusive adaptations for diverse learners across contexts.