The School of Play Curriculum
Kindergarten
Week Sixteen nurtures the life skill of gratitude, showing students how thankful thoughts can strengthen connection, spread joy, and bring calm into everyday moments. The week begins with Gratitude Balloon Toss, a light-hearted group game where students pass a balloon around while sharing something they’re grateful for, helping them speak appreciation out loud in a fun, supported way. Students then move into reflective creativity with My Thankful Hand, tracing their hands and filling each finger with meaningful things they appreciate, people, places, moments, pets, or anything that brings them joy.
The week continues with gentle movement and mindfulness in Stretch and Say Thanks, blending calming stretches with spoken gratitude to help students link thankfulness with emotional regulation and body awareness. To end the week, students participate in Thank You Space Power Cubes, creating and giving small tokens of appreciation to someone at school, reinforcing kindness, connection, and the power of thoughtful giving. Together, these activities help children understand that gratitude can be spoken, drawn, moved, and shared. Week Sixteen, inspired by Saturn’s beautiful rings, reminds students that gratitude circles outward, bringing people closer, creating warmth, and building a classroom community grounded in kindness and connection.
Weekly Lessons
Gratitude Balloon Toss
Gratitude Balloon Toss is a lively and heartwarming activity that blends movement with appreciation. As students gently bounce a balloon around the group, they say something they are thankful for before sending it into the air. The game turns gratitude into a shared experience, helping children recognise the good things in their lives while keeping their bodies active and engaged. Saturn’s message of connection is brought to life as thankful thoughts circle the room, just like its beautiful rings.
The playful nature of the balloon keeps students smiling while also encouraging careful listening and teamwork. By hearing what others are grateful for, students build empathy and deepen their sense of community. Gratitude Balloon Toss reinforces that thankful hearts make strong, happy groups, and that expressing appreciation can be as fun and uplifting as a balloon floating through the air.
My Thankful Hand
My Thankful Hand is a gentle, creative gratitude activity where students trace their hand and fill each finger with something they are thankful for. This simple visual task helps children pause, reflect, and recognise the positives in their lives, whether it’s family, friends, pets, favourite activities, or moments that make them smile. By turning each finger into a space for appreciation, students practise noticing the small but meaningful parts of their day that bring happiness, just like Saturn’s many rings coming together to create something beautiful.
Once their hands are decorated, students can choose to share their thankful ideas with classmates, helping build connection, kindness, and emotional expression. Sharing these thoughtful drawings encourages confidence and nurtures a classroom culture where gratitude is celebrated. My Thankful Hand blends creativity with reflection, offering a calm, meaningful way for children to express appreciation and recognise the good in their world.
Stretch and Say Thanks
Stretch and Say Thanks blends calming movement with spoken gratitude, giving students a mindful way to appreciate the good things in their lives. As they copy gentle stretches, reaching up high, touching their toes, breathing deeply, or sitting in butterfly pose, they say something they are thankful for with each movement. This simple combination of body awareness and positive language helps students build emotional well-being while staying grounded and calm.
The activity encourages children to notice how stretching their bodies and expressing gratitude can make them feel centred, relaxed, and happy. Sharing thankful thoughts as a group strengthens connection and reminds students that appreciation can be part of everyday routines. Just like Saturn’s steady and balanced rings, Stretch and Say Thanks teaches that gratitude grows quietly and beautifully when we pause, breathe, and move with intention.
Thank You Space Power Cubes
Thank You Space Power Cubes is a joyful and creative gratitude activity that allows students to turn appreciation into something they can hold, decorate, and share. By designing their own cube with pictures, colours, and kind messages, children reflect on the people at school who support, help, or brighten their day. Each side of the cube becomes a small window into their thankfulness, helping them recognise the many ways others make their world feel safe, happy, and connected.
Once completed, students gift their Space Power Cube to someone special, offering it with kind words, a smile, or quiet appreciation. This simple act of giving strengthens relationships, boosts emotional confidence, and helps children experience the joy of expressing gratitude. Like Saturn’s beautiful rings, these little cubes remind students that kindness wraps around us and grows stronger every time we share it.
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