The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week One focuses on energising students through playful, movement-rich activities that build coordination, confidence, and social connection. Across the week, students participate in fast-paced physical games, imagination-driven movement tasks, and reflective kindness activities that nurture both their bodies and minds. Through activities such as Happy Face Mean Face and Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm, students practise reacting quickly, synchronising with partners, expressing emotions through movement, and using their imaginations to bring stories to life. This combination of fitness and creativity creates a fun, engaging classroom atmosphere where students feel excited, energised, and ready to learn.
Alongside physical engagement, Week One also develops students’ emotional awareness and gratitude. Through My Kindness Journal and Gratitude on Display, students reflect on acts of kindness, express gratitude in creative ways, and build empathy by listening to one another. These activities help students recognise the importance of kindness, understand how their actions affect others, and celebrate the positive experiences in their lives. Altogether, the week blends movement, reflection, creativity, and connection to foster a warm, supportive, and joyful learning environment.
Weekly Lessons
Happy Face Mean Face
Happy Face Mean Face is a high-energy partner game that gets students laughing, moving, and thinking fast. Every round challenges players to coordinate their movements and facial expressions with their partner, whether they’re spinning mid-air or jumping out of a plank. The element of surprise keeps the game exciting, while the quick decision-making builds coordination, reaction time, and focus. With its playful mix of movement and expression, students stay active from the very first countdown, making it a brilliant warm-up or energiser for any session.
At the heart of the game is connection. Students engage with partners through fun facial expressions, friendly competition, and shared bursts of laughter, helping them build positive relationships in a light, joyful way. Whether they’re tagging for points, switching partners, or adding extra challenges, students practise teamwork, social interaction, and emotional expression while staying physically active. Happy Face Mean Face sets the tone for an energetic, connected, and playful learning environment.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Regulation
Happy Face Mean Face supports students to:
- Identify and express simple emotions by choosing between happy and mean faces during the game. Students practise naming and showing feelings through playful expression.
- Recognise emotions in others as they check their partner’s face each round, helping them understand and respond to how someone else might be feeling.
- Manage excitement and big energy by following game cues, taking turns, and staying in control of their bodies and facial expressions.
Communication & Empathy
Happy Face Mean Face helps students to:
- Listen carefully to instructions and partner cues, such as the countdown and jump signal, supporting calm and focused communication.
- Use positive, friendly interactions, including laughing together, encouraging partners, and celebrating each round respectfully.
- Show empathy by noticing when their partner may be unsure, nervous, or excited, learning to respond kindly and supportively.
Cooperation & Social Skills
Happy Face Mean Face encourages students to:
- Work as a team with their partner, matching timing, expressions, and movements to successfully play each round.
- Practise fairness and turn-taking, switching partners and celebrating everyone’s effort rather than who wins.
- Build confidence in social play, engaging in fun, low-pressure interactions that support developing friendships.
Respect, Safety & Belonging
Happy Face Mean Face supports students to:
- Respect others’ personal space, especially when jumping, turning, and tagging, ensuring everyone feels safe during movement play.
- Ensure a positive, welcoming environment where all students, regardless of ability, can participate equally and feel included.
- Promote a classroom culture of kindness, as students learn that games are more enjoyable when everyone treats each other with care and respect.
Resilience & Trying Again
Happy Face Mean Face encourages students to:
- Bounce back from missed points or mismatched faces, learning that mistakes are part of play and each round is a new chance to try again.
- Stay motivated and persistent, even when the timing is tricky or the movements feel challenging.
- Celebrate effort rather than winning, reinforcing that having fun, trying your best, and laughing together are the real successes.
My Kindness Journal
My Kindness Journal invites students to pause, reflect, and capture the moments of kindness woven through their everyday lives. By writing and drawing simple acts of kindness, both given and received, students build emotional awareness and begin to recognise just how often kindness plays a role in shaping their day. This gentle, creative task encourages students to notice the small things that make a big difference, turning their reflections into a personal record of positivity, empathy, and gratitude.
The activity also strengthens connections as students share selected moments from their journals with peers or family members. Through these conversations, they begin to understand how kindness impacts both the giver and the receiver, deepening their sense of empathy and belonging. Whether used in a classroom or at home, My Kindness Journal creates a calm, meaningful space for children to celebrate compassion and reflect on how kindness helps build stronger, happier relationships.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Empathy
My Kindness Journal supports students to:
- Identify and name feelings connected to giving and receiving kindness, helping them build emotional vocabulary around joy, pride, gratitude, and care.
- Recognise the emotions of others by reflecting on how their kind actions may have made someone else feel, strengthening early empathy skills.
- Understand that their behaviour affects others, developing awareness of how kindness creates positive emotional connections.
Communication & Positive Expression
My Kindness Journal helps students to:
- Communicate through writing and drawing, expressing thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a safe, creative way.
- Share personal stories of kindness respectfully, listening to classmates and responding kindly during reflection time.
- Use polite and positive language, reinforcing respectful communication when giving compliments or describing caring moments.
Cooperation, Respect & Social Skills
My Kindness Journal encourages students to:
- Notice kindness in relationships such as sharing, helping, including others, which strengthens understanding of respectful behaviour.
- Celebrate the kindness of others, building an appreciation for peers and creating a sense of classroom belonging.
- Participate respectfully in group reflections, taking turns, listening actively, and valuing everyone’s contributions.
Safety, Belonging & Connection
My Kindness Journal supports students to:
- Feel safe sharing personal stories in a nurturing environment where all emotions and experiences are respected.
- Recognise that kindness helps people feel valued and included, strengthening a sense of community in the classroom.
- Contribute to shared displays (such as a Kindness Wall), helping students feel seen and appreciated within the group.
Resilience & Self-Reflection
My Kindness Journal encourages students to:
- Reflect on positive actions, reinforcing that they are capable of making good choices that strengthen relationships.
- Understand the long-term impact of kindness, learning that small acts can make a big difference to themselves and others.
- Build confidence by recognising their ability to contribute positively to their environment.
Self-Regulation
My Kindness Journal helps students to:
- Pause and reflect calmly, practising quiet thinking time which supports emotional regulation.
- Identify actions that make themselves and others feel good, guiding future behaviour choices in moments of frustration or challenge.
- Develop gentler responses by focusing on kindness as a strategy to solve problems and strengthen friendships.
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm brings storytelling and movement together in a playful, energetic way that gets every child up, active, and engaged. As students follow along with the story, they act out each exercise in the story. The rhythm of the narrative keeps students listening closely, while the imaginative movements help build coordination, creativity, and a joyful connection to physical activity.
The magic of this activity lies in its ability to turn exercise into adventure. Students laugh, move, and immerse themselves in the story, making fitness feel natural and exciting. Whether used as a warm-up, classroom brain break, or family game, Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm encourages students to express themselves, stay active, and enjoy movement through imagination and play. It’s a delightful way to energise any group and inspire a love of storytelling through physical creativity.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Imagination
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm supports students to:
- Recognise and express feelings through movement and storytelling, helping them connect emotions with playful actions (e.g., excited flapping, happy galloping).
- Use imagination to explore different roles, which strengthens emotional understanding as they act out various animals and behaviours.
- Experience joy and enthusiasm through movement, helping students build a positive emotional connection to physical activity.
Communication & Listening Skills
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm helps students to:
- Practise active listening, following the story and responding to verbal cues with the correct movements.
- Communicate respectfully, using kind words, taking turns, and responding positively to classmates’ ideas and imaginative interpretations.
- Understand instructions, building confidence in following sequences and participating in group storytelling.
Cooperation & Social Interaction
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm encourages students to:
- Move together as a group, learning how to coordinate safely with peers while galloping, flapping, twisting, and jumping.
- Share the story experience, strengthening social bonds through laughter, shared creativity, and collaborative actions.
- Celebrate effort and participation, rather than competition, reinforcing fairness and inclusion for everyone in the group.
Respect, Safety & Personal Space
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm supports students to:
- Respect others’ personal space by moving safely around the room, especially during higher-energy movements like galloping or jumping jacks.
- Ensure a safe classroom environment, following cues and controlling their bodies to prevent collisions or unsafe play.
- Value differences in ability, understanding that everyone can take part in their own way, whether moving fast, slow, big, or small.
Self-Regulation & Body Awareness
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm helps students to:
- Manage their bodies and energy levels, shifting between fast, fun movements and calmer cool-down stretches.
- Build control during active play, learning to stop, listen, and follow the next instruction even when excited.
- Recognise their physical cues, such as tiredness or excitement, and adjust movements safely.
Resilience, Trying New Things & Confidence
Old MacDonald Had a Fitness Farm encourages students to:
- Try unfamiliar movements, building courage and confidence through playful exploration.
- Bounce back if they forget a movement, knowing that they can simply try again without pressure or judgment.
- Feel proud of their participation, reinforcing a positive mindset toward physical activity and creativity.
Gratitude on Display
Gratitude on Display is a bright and joyful activity that invites students to pause, reflect, and share the moments, people, and experiences that make them feel thankful. Using a simple dice roll to spark playful prompts, students express their gratitude through drawings or short messages, turning individual moments of appreciation into a shared creative experience. The act of choosing, creating, and contributing helps students develop emotional awareness while celebrating the small things that bring happiness into their everyday lives.
As the gratitude wall grows, so does the sense of community. Students are encouraged to read, admire, and connect with the notes around them, discovering common joys and appreciating the unique perspectives of their peers. The colourful display becomes a living celebration of positivity, a reminder that gratitude is something we can practise, share, and grow together. Gratitude on Display offers a simple yet powerful way to nurture connection, optimism, and a classroom culture grounded in appreciation.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Positive Thinking
Gratitude on Display supports students to:
- Identify and name positive feelings, such as happiness, love, excitement, and comfort, by reflecting on the things and people they are grateful for.
- Recognise the emotions connected to gratitude, helping students understand how thankful moments make them, and others, feel good.
- Build a habit of noticing the positives, strengthening emotional awareness and fostering an optimistic mindset.
Communication, Sharing & Creative Expression
Gratitude on Display helps students to:
- Express themselves through writing or drawing, strengthening early communication skills in a safe and creative way.
- Share thoughts respectfully, listening to peers’ grateful moments and responding with kindness.
- Use positive language, reinforcing respectful communication and modelling appreciation.
Cooperation, Inclusion & Social Connection
Gratitude on Display encourages students to:
- Participate in a shared class activity, creating a collective gratitude wall that celebrates everyone’s contributions.
- Learn about their classmates’ interests and joyful experiences, helping them feel more connected and supportive of one another.
- Foster inclusion, as every student’s note is valued equally, regardless of drawing ability, writing level, or language confidence.
Respect, Safety & Belonging
Gratitude on Display supports students to:
- Respect others’ ideas, understanding that everyone has different things that make them happy.
- Feel safe expressing personal thoughts, as gratitude is shared in a positive environment where all contributions are celebrated.
- Build a sense of classroom belonging, seeing their notes displayed alongside their peers as part of a shared, colourful wall.
Self-Regulation & Emotional Resilience
Gratitude on Display helps students to:
- Pause and reflect calmly, practising quiet thinking as they identify what they are grateful for.
- Use gratitude as a tool to shift emotions, learning that thinking about positive things can help them feel better during challenging moments.
- Develop resilience, as the gratitude wall becomes a visual reminder of joy, connection, and comforting memories.
Empathy & Understanding Others
Gratitude on Display encourages students to:
- Appreciate what matters to their peers, helping them understand others’ feelings and perspectives.
- Respond kindly to shared experiences, building empathy as they learn that everyone has special moments worth celebrating.
- Value diversity, recognising that people feel grateful for different things.
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