The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Nine blends movement, imagination, kindness, and gratitude to create a fun and uplifting week of learning. Students stay active through energetic games such as One Two Three and Nursery Rhyme Mash-Up, where they practise coordination, rhythm, and physical fitness while following playful stories and actions. These activities help strengthen reflexes, focus, and teamwork, keeping students fully engaged through movement and shared laughter. The combination of story-driven exercises and partner-based challenges helps build confidence, encourages cooperation, and fosters positive social interaction.
Alongside the physical activities, students explore gratitude and kindness through Compliment Time and Master Chef Group Gratitude. These reflection-based activities encourage students to recognise the positive qualities in their peers, give heartfelt compliments, and express appreciation through drawing and storytelling. Students practise empathy, build emotional vocabulary, and contribute to a positive community environment. Together, the week’s activities help students develop physical fitness, emotional intelligence, and strong social bonds, creating a joyful and connected classroom culture.
Weekly Lessons
One Two Three
One Two Three is a fast, playful partner game that gets students moving, laughing, and connecting right from the start of a session. Designed for young learners, it blends simple counting with fun physical actions, like clapping, nodding, and raising arms, to build coordination, focus, and rhythm. Each new round adds a twist, challenging students to stay in sync with their partner while keeping the game energetic and engaging. The easy, repetitive structure helps students feel successful while also giving them a chance to practise listening and responding quickly.
As students move through the rounds, the game naturally encourages cooperation, turn-taking, and positive social interaction. Whether they're racing through the actions or giggling over mixed-up movements, students build confidence and connection in a low-pressure, joyful environment. With the option to add fitness movements like star jumps or high knees, One Two Three becomes a versatile energiser that boosts physical activity and classroom positivity. It’s a simple, high-energy warm-up that fills the space with fun and sets a playful tone for the learning ahead.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Following Directions
One Two Three helps students to:
- Practise active listening as they follow their partner’s counting and movement cues.
- Strengthen coordination by matching specific actions (clap, nod, arms up) to the correct moments in the sequence.
- Improve focus and attention, especially as the rounds become faster and require more concentration.
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Peer Interaction
This game supports students to:
- Work respectfully with a partner, taking turns and staying in rhythm together.
- Encourage and support each other through the challenge, building positive social connections through shared laughter and success.
- Learn the importance of cooperating to keep the sequence going smoothly, promoting teamwork in a playful way.
Respect, Fair Play & Shared Rules
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Follow agreed rules that help the game stay fair, fun, and safe for everyone.
- Demonstrate respectful behaviour by waiting for their turn, listening to their partner, and celebrating effort rather than perfection.
- Create an inclusive environment where all students feel comfortable participating, no matter their coordination level.
Self-Regulation, Confidence & Managing Quick Decisions
One Two Three encourages students to:
- Manage excitement as the game speeds up, practising calm focus under playful pressure.
- Recover confidently from mistakes, understanding that errors are part of the fun and practising resilience in a low-stakes setting.
- Build confidence as they master new actions and sequences, celebrating small improvements and personal effort.
Movement, Physical Well-Being & Active Engagement
This activity helps students to:
- Stay physically active through clapping, nodding, arm movements, and optional fitness variations like star jumps and squats.
- Develop coordination and body awareness by linking movements to counting patterns.
- Experience joy through movement, helping them associate physical activity with fun, connection, and well-being.
Compliment Time
Compliment Time is a simple, uplifting activity designed to help students recognise and celebrate the positive qualities in the people around them. By thinking of three genuine compliments they can give to someone else, students learn to look for kindness, strengths, and helpful actions in their peers. This gentle reflection encourages them to slow down and notice the good in others, strengthening empathy and building a habit of expressing appreciation. Whether they write, draw, or speak their compliments, students practise using positive language that makes others feel valued.
Sharing these compliments transforms the activity into a meaningful social experience, where students see firsthand how their words can brighten someone’s day. As they reflect on how it feels to give and receive compliments, they deepen their understanding of how kindness creates connection and boosts confidence, for both the giver and the receiver. Compliment Time nurtures a warm, supportive classroom culture where noticing and celebrating others becomes part of the everyday rhythm.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Expressing Kindness
Compliment Time helps students to:
- Practise using clear, positive language when giving compliments.
- Develop active listening skills as they pay attention to peers and notice their strengths or kind actions.
- Build confidence in speaking kindly to others, using thoughtful words that uplift and encourage.
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Peer Interaction
This activity supports students to:
- Strengthen friendships and social bonds by openly recognising what they appreciate in others.
- Participate in a supportive, positive environment where everyone feels valued.
- Engage in kind, respectful interactions that build trust and connection in the group.
Respect, Fair Play & Shared Rules
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Show respect by offering compliments that are sincere, meaningful, and appropriate.
- Honour the emotional safety of others by focusing on kindness rather than comparisons or judgment.
- Contribute to a classroom culture where all students feel seen and appreciated.
Self-Regulation, Confidence & Understanding Emotions
Compliment Time encourages students to:
- Reflect on their own feelings after giving compliments, recognising the positive emotions that come from kindness.
- Build empathy by imagining how others feel when they receive a genuine compliment.
- Grow confidence in their ability to positively impact others through kind words and actions.
Emotional Well-Being, Gratitude & Positive Mindsets
This activity helps students to:
- Notice and appreciate the positive qualities in others, strengthening gratitude and optimism.
- Develop a habit of looking for the good in people and expressing appreciation.
- Experience joy through kindness, reinforcing that positive interactions contribute to personal well-being.
Nursery Rhyme Mash-Up
Nursery Rhyme Mash-Up is a playful, high-energy movement adventure that brings classic nursery rhymes to life through fitness and imagination. Students follow along with a lively story, acting out each moment using fun physical challenges, whether they're sprinting away from the Three Bears, crawling like Incy Wincy Spider, rebuilding Humpty Dumpty, or rowing down the stream. The activity encourages active participation, boosts coordination, and keeps students fully engaged as they move their bodies in response to the unfolding tale.
As students imagine themselves as characters from their favourite rhymes, they practise creativity, storytelling, and physical expression all at once. The adventure blends exercise with imaginative play, helping young learners build strength, balance, and enthusiasm for movement in a joyful, story-driven environment. Nursery Rhyme Mash-Up is a perfect warm-up, cool-down, or energiser that turns familiar stories into a dynamic fitness experience.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Following Directions
Nursery Rhyme Mash-Up helps students to:
- Practise attentive listening as they follow a fast-changing story filled with action cues and movement instructions.
- Respond accurately to verbal instructions, strengthening understanding, processing speed, and body awareness.
- Engage in shared storytelling, listening for key moments and reacting through movement with focus and clarity.
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Peer Interaction
This activity supports students to:
- Participate in a shared imaginative experience, building connection through laughter, energy, and play.
- Encourage each other during challenging movements, promoting teamwork and mutual support.
- Create a positive social atmosphere where students celebrate involvement, creativity, and effort.
Respect, Fair Play & Shared Rules
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Follow the shared rules of the movement story, ensuring fairness, safety, and inclusion.
- Show respect for others by maintaining personal space, moving safely, and supporting classmates' involvement.
- Contribute to a fun and inclusive environment where every student can participate confidently at their own pace.
Self-Regulation, Confidence & Managing Energy
Nursery Rhyme Mash-Up encourages students to:
- Manage their physical energy as the story shifts between fast-paced actions and calmer moments.
- Build confidence as they take creative risks and perform imaginative movements without fear of judgment.
- Practise emotional regulation by staying calm, focused, and in control during exciting story transitions.
Movement, Physical Well-Being & Active Engagement
This activity helps students to:
- Stay physically active through running, crawling, squatting, jumping, and full-body coordination tasks.
- Build strength, stamina, balance, and agility in a joyful, story-driven context.
- Experience the connection between movement, imagination, and fun, reinforcing that fitness can be playful, expressive, and inclusive.
Master Chef Group Gratitude
Master Chef Group Gratitude is a playful, creative reflection activity where students “cook up” gratitude by thinking about the people who positively impact their lives. Using a series of guided gratitude prompts, students identify those who make them feel happy, supported, inspired, or cared for, helping them recognise the many ways others contribute to their well-being. This reflective process encourages empathy, appreciation, and mindful recognition of kindness in their everyday lives.
Once students gather their ingredients and their reflections, they combine them into a fun “Master Chef Gratitude Recipe,” turning their ideas into a short story or cartoon-style illustration. Sharing these stories with the group strengthens friendships, builds confidence, and creates a warm, uplifting atmosphere where everyone feels valued. Master Chef Group Gratitude promotes connection, creativity, and a culture of kindness, making it a powerful activity for any classroom or group community.
Download the FULL games resources HERE.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Following Directions
Master Chef Group Gratitude helps students to:
- Practise thoughtful communication by reflecting on prompts and expressing gratitude clearly and meaningfully.
- Share personal reflections in a safe, supportive way, building confidence in speaking and listening.
- Follow structured steps, reflect, create, share, strengthening their ability to listen attentively to peers’ stories and respond appropriately.
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Peer Interaction
This activity supports students to:
- Engage in supportive social interactions by responding kindly to each other’s gratitude stories.
- Build positive connections as they recognise the qualities, actions, and contributions of people who matter to them.
- Strengthen group cohesion through shared appreciation and uplifting feedback, fostering a warm, encouraging environment.
Respect, Fair Play & Shared Rules
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Show respect by listening quietly and celebrating each person’s contribution during story sharing.
- Honour the shared guidelines of kindness, encouragement, and non-judgement as each student presents their “recipe.”
- Contribute to an inclusive atmosphere where every story is valued and every student feels seen, heard, and appreciated.
Self-Regulation, Confidence & Managing Emotions
Master Chef Group Gratitude encourages students to:
- Reflect calmly on personal experiences, practising emotional awareness and mindful thinking.
- Build confidence by sharing their gratitude stories, even when expressing personal feelings.
- Experience positive emotions and regulate their mood through the act of giving and hearing appreciation, reinforcing emotional resilience.
Gratitude, Empathy & Social Awareness
This activity helps students to:
- Develop empathy by thinking deeply about the people who have supported, inspired, or cared for them.
- Understand the importance of acknowledging others’ kindness, fostering emotional intelligence and compassion.
- Strengthen gratitude habits that improve relationships, classroom culture, and overall well-being.
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