The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Eleven is designed to strengthen teamwork, emotional awareness, creativity, and physical development through a series of engaging activities that promote both social and personal growth. Students begin the week by collaborating in The Lineup, a cooperative challenge that requires verbal or nonverbal communication to solve problems together. This sets the tone for connection and teamwork. Finding My Sunshine then invites students into gentle emotional reflection, helping them recognise their feelings and explore strategies to boost their mood and resilience. These reflective moments support self-expression, emotional regulation, and personal empowerment.
The week continues with movement-based engagement through Animal Parade, where students embody different animals to develop balance, coordination, strength, and creative physical expression. To conclude, the Giving Tree encourages kindness, gratitude, and empathy as students contribute their own positive actions to a growing visual display of shared generosity. Together, these experiences nurture stronger communication skills, promote emotional well-being, enhance physical fitness, and reinforce a class culture shaped by kindness, cooperation, and creativity.
Weekly Lessons
The Lineup
The Lineup is a collaborative problem-solving game where students work together to organise themselves in a specific order, such as by birthday, house number, or shoe size, using either verbal or non-verbal communication. As they negotiate their positions in the lineup, students practise teamwork, active listening, and clear communication while discovering new things about their peers. The challenge of ordering themselves correctly encourages cooperation and strategic thinking, whether they are allowed to talk freely or must rely solely on gestures, eye contact, and non-verbal cues.
This activity also provides a powerful opportunity for reflection as students consider which strategies worked well, what challenges they faced, and how they supported one another. The Lineup builds social connection, strengthens communication skills, and fosters a sense of shared accomplishment. Whether played slowly and thoughtfully or turned into a timed challenge for extra excitement, it creates a positive group atmosphere where students learn how to problem-solve together and appreciate the strengths of their team.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Verbal / Non-Verbal Interaction
The Lineup helps students to:
- Practise clear communication by sharing information, listening closely, and asking questions to find their correct place in the lineup.
- Strengthen non-verbal communication skills such as gestures, body language, facial expressions, and eye contact, especially when speech is not allowed.
- Understand that communication can take many forms and that being attentive and respectful is key to working effectively with others.
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Peer Interaction
This activity supports students to:
- Work together to solve a shared challenge, relying on cooperation rather than competition.
- Respect one another’s ideas and perspectives as they organise themselves into the correct order.
- Build social connections by discovering new information about their peers (birthdays, siblings, shoe size, etc.).
Respect, Fair Play & Shared Decision-Making
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Show respect during the lineup process by taking turns, listening carefully, and ensuring everyone has a chance to contribute.
- Make fair, collective decisions about order and correctness, supporting peers rather than rushing or pushing.
- Create an inclusive environment where every student’s information is valued and needed for the group to succeed.
Problem-Solving, Self-Regulation & Reflection
The Lineup encourages students to:
- Approach challenges calmly and logically, thinking through strategies to communicate effectively, especially when talking is not allowed.
- Manage frustration, stay patient, and adapt their approach when communication becomes tricky.
- Reflect on the strategies used, identify what worked well, and consider how to collaborate even more effectively next time.
Social Awareness, Connection & Understanding Others
This activity helps students to:
- Learn more about their peers in a structured, positive way, building awareness and appreciation of similarities and differences.
- Strengthen empathy through noticing peers’ needs, efforts, and contributions during the challenge.
- Feel a sense of belonging and group connection as they work together to solve a shared task.
Finding My Sunshine
Finding My Sunshine is a gentle, reflective activity that invites students to pause, check in with their emotions, and acknowledge when things feel a bit heavy. Through drawing or writing, they explore the idea of “sunshine”, the people, places, and activities that help brighten their mood when they’re feeling sad, frustrated, or overwhelmed. By identifying what helps them feel calmer or more hopeful, students begin to better understand their own emotional world and develop simple, positive coping strategies they can rely on during tough moments.
The activity also encourages students to make a personalised plan for what they can do the next time they feel low, empowering them with a sense of control and resilience. Sharing their sunshine ideas with classmates builds a supportive environment where students learn helpful strategies from one another and feel less alone in their feelings. Finding My Sunshine nurtures emotional awareness, self-care, and well-being by helping students recognise that while everyone has tough days, they also have the power to bring a little sunshine back into their own lives.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy, Awareness & Understanding Feelings
Finding My Sunshine helps students to:
- Recognise and name emotions such as sadness, frustration, or disappointment, building emotional awareness.
- Understand that feelings change and that it is okay to experience difficult emotions.
- Reflect on why they feel a certain way, strengthening the connection between thoughts, experiences, and emotions.
Positive Coping, Help-Seeking & Healthy Strategies
This activity supports students to:
- Identify healthy, practical strategies that help improve their mood when life feels tough.
- Build a personalised “toolkit” of coping strategies such as talking to someone, breathing, moving, playing, listening to music, or spending time outdoors.
- Understand that seeking support, from peers, teachers, family, or trusted adults, is a positive and normal response to feeling down.
Respect, Self-Kindness & Personal Well-being
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Treat themselves with compassion, acknowledging that tough emotions are part of being human.
- Make choices that nurture their well-being, such as choosing an uplifting activity or engaging in something meaningful.
- Recognise the importance of taking responsibility for their emotional health in positive and proactive ways.
Self-Regulation, Resilience & Managing Tough Moments
Finding My Sunshine encourages students to:
- Practise calming and grounding strategies when big feelings arise.
- Build resilience by identifying what helps them bounce back from setbacks or low moods.
- Develop a plan they can rely on during challenging moments, strengthening emotional independence and confidence.
Connection, Sharing & Building a Supportive Community
This activity helps students to:
- Share their coping strategies and “sunshine ideas” with peers, learning from each other and strengthening group connectedness.
- Listen to others’ experiences with empathy, helping build a supportive and emotionally aware classroom culture.
- Contribute to a collective “Sunshine Board,” promoting a sense of belonging and shared well-being.
Animal Parade
Animal Parade invites students into a joyful world of imaginative movement, where they explore how different animals stomp, hop, slither, or waddle. As they mimic a variety of animal-inspired actions, students develop balance, strength, coordination, and body awareness, all while having loads of fun. The activity encourages them to listen carefully to instructions, tap into their creativity, and express themselves physically in a way that feels playful and engaging.
Through quick changes in animal movements, student-led suggestions, and reflective discussion at the end, the Animal Parade also supports confidence, leadership, and collaboration. By embracing silliness and modelling vulnerability, the facilitator helps create a safe, supportive environment where students can move freely and enjoy being part of the parade. This activity is an energetic and imaginative way to boost physical development, creativity, and classroom connection.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Following Directions
Animal Parade helps students to:
- Practise active listening as they respond quickly to new animal movements being called out.
- Follow clear movement instructions while staying focused and aware of their surroundings.
- Build confidence in interpreting verbal prompts and translating them into expressive body actions.
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Peer Interaction
This activity supports students to:
- Move safely alongside peers, respecting personal space and working together in a shared environment.
- Encourage one another through playful participation, building a fun and inclusive group dynamic.
- Take turns leading the parade when invited, promoting leadership, trust, and positive peer engagement.
Respect, Inclusivity & Shared Fun
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Respect the efforts of others as everyone experiments with new and sometimes silly movements.
- Celebrate differences in how students move, imagine, and express themselves.
- Create a playful atmosphere where all students feel confident, welcome, and free to join in.
Self-Regulation, Confidence & Creative Expression
Animal Parade encourages students to:
- Express themselves through imaginative movement, building confidence in playful risk-taking.
- Manage excitement and energy while staying in control of their body movements.
- Explore new ways of moving that stretch their comfort zone, strengthening resilience and creativity.
Movement, Physical Well-Being & Active Engagement
This activity helps students to:
- Develop coordination, balance, and motor skills through varied animal-inspired movements.
- Strengthen different muscle groups as they stomp, hop, slither, crawl, and waddle.
- Experience joy through active play, connecting movement with fun, expression, and whole-body engagement.
Giving Tree
Giving Tree brings generosity to life through a growing visual display that celebrates every act of kindness. Each time a student helps a friend, shares a smile, or makes someone’s day a little brighter, they add a leaf to the classroom tree, creating a colourful reminder that kindness is something we build together. As the tree fills out, students can see the ripple effect of small gestures and recognise that giving doesn’t have to be big or complicated to make a real difference.
This activity also creates regular opportunities for reflection and conversation, helping students connect their actions with the positive feelings they create in themselves and others. Watching the tree transform across the term or year nurtures a sense of pride, belonging, and shared purpose. Giving Tree becomes more than a display, it becomes a symbol of the classroom community and the way kindness grows when everyone contributes.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Following Directions
The Giving Tree helps students to:
- Listen carefully to instructions about how to record and share their acts of kindness.
- Communicate clearly through writing or drawing as they describe their kind actions on each leaf.
- Understand how their contributions fit into a shared classroom project by following the routine of adding leaves to the tree.
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Peer Interaction
This activity supports students to:
- Work together in building a visual display of kindness that reflects the collective efforts of the whole group.
- Notice, appreciate, and celebrate each other's acts of giving, strengthening positive peer relationships.
- Encourage classmates to participate, fostering a culture where kindness is recognised, valued, and shared.
Respect, Inclusivity & Shared Values
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Recognise that every act of kindness, big or small, adds value to their community.
- Treat one another with respect by acknowledging and celebrating diverse ways of being kind.
- Understand that kindness is a shared responsibility that helps create a safe, caring, inclusive classroom environment.
Self-Regulation, Empathy & Emotional Awareness
The Giving Tree encourages students to:
- Reflect on how their actions affect others and develop empathy by considering how kindness makes people feel.
- Take pride in their giving, building confidence and recognising the emotional rewards of helping others.
- Regulate their behaviour by choosing positive actions and noticing how kindness contributes to their own well-being.
Movement, Physical Well-Being & Active Engagement
This activity helps students to:
- Move around the classroom with purpose as they add new leaves to the tree and engage with the visual display.
- Feel energised and motivated through active participation in an ongoing project that evolves throughout the term or year.
- Experience the joy of contributing to something larger than themselves, reinforcing positive habits and emotional well-being.
.avif)
