The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Seven blended high-energy movement with imagination, teamwork, gratitude, and positive goal-setting. Students stayed active through engaging physical games like Jump Spin Fun and African Safari, which combined coordination, counting, and creative fitness in fun, story-driven ways. These activities encouraged students to move their bodies, practise quick thinking, and use their imaginations to bring animal adventures and energetic challenges to life. At the same time, students began exploring more reflective skills through activities like My Dream Day, where they imagined their perfect day and set achievable goals that support their happiness and well-being.
The week also strengthened social connection and emotional understanding through collaborative and expressive games. Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge encouraged teamwork and communication as students worked together to complete physical tasks based on dice rolls. Gratitude Pictionary gave students a creative way to express gratitude, helping them connect with classmates and appreciate the positive moments in their lives. Together, these activities supported physical fitness, creativity, emotional expression, empathy, and cooperation, making Week Seven an energetic, imaginative, and significant part of the curriculum.
Weekly Lessons
Jump Spin Fun
Jump Spin Fun is a fast, energetic partner game that blends movement, counting, and excitement. Students jump, spin, and reveal a number of fingers, racing to be the first to correctly call out the total. This simple mechanic creates a playful way for young learners to practise number recognition while staying active and engaged. The quick rounds, joyful movement, and friendly competition help build coordination, balance, and confidence.
As pairs play, they practise taking turns, encouraging one another, and celebrating each other's successes, building positive social skills and sportsmanship along the way. Whether used as a warm-up, brain break, or a fun maths-movement mashup, Jump Spin Fun promotes teamwork, laughter, and physical activity while keeping learning light and enjoyable.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Following Instructions
Jump Spin Fun supports students to:
- Listen to shared countdown cues, responding together with the actions “jump,” “spin,” and “shot.”
- Follow a predictable sequence, helping them build listening skills and confidence in group routines.
- Develop clear communication, especially when calling out the total number of fingers and celebrating each round.
Cooperation, Turn-Taking & Positive Social Interaction
Jump Spin Fun helps students to:
- Practise taking turns and working in pairs, building cooperation and trust between partners.
- Show kindness and sportsmanship, cheering for friends and responding positively whether they win or lose.
- Build classroom connection, as pairs play simultaneously and share the fun energy of the activity.
Respect, Inclusion & Playful Safety
Jump Spin Fun encourages students to:
- Respect personal space while jumping, spinning, and interacting with partners.
- Include all classmates, as the game is simple, accessible, and does not rely on physical speed or skill.
- Move safely and mindfully, learning to control their bodies during spins and jumps.
Emotional Literacy, Confidence & Joyful Expression
Jump Spin Fun supports students to:
- Experience positive emotions, such as excitement, joy, and confidence as they play.
- Build confidence by participating in playful challenges and celebrating small successes.
- Express enthusiasm through movement, laughter, and supportive cheering.
Self-Regulation, Focus & Body Awareness
Jump Spin Fun helps students to:
- Regulate their body movements, coordinating jumps, spins, and finger-showing with calm reactions afterward.
- Stay focused under fast-paced conditions, listening for cues and calculating finger totals quickly.
- Notice how movement affects feelings, supporting awareness of energy levels and emotional responses.
Resilience, Persistence & Growth Mindset
Jump Spin Fun encourages students to:
- Have another go if they don’t count correctly or don’t earn a point, reinforcing resilience.
- Celebrate effort over winning, understanding that fun, teamwork, and participation matter most.
- Learn through repetition, improving counting accuracy and movement control with each round.
My Dream Day
My Dream Day invites students to imagine what their perfect day would look and feel like, encouraging big thinking, creativity, and joyful reflection. By drawing or writing about the people, places, and activities that would make their day special, students explore what truly brings them happiness and excitement. This creative process helps them better understand their own interests, values, and aspirations in a fun and imaginative way.
Once their dream day is brought to life on paper, students reflect on one small part of it they could make happen soon, building the link between imagination and real-life action. This gentle introduction to goal-setting teaches students that even small steps can bring pieces of their dreams into reality. The activity builds optimism, agency, and hope, all while helping students connect with themselves and with others through shared dreams and ideas.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy, Self-Awareness & Positive Identity
My Dream Day supports students to:
- Recognise what brings them joy, helping them identify the people, places, and activities that make them feel happy and safe.
- Explore their interests and identity, understanding what matters to them and why.
- Build emotional awareness, noticing what feelings arise when imagining or planning a special day.
Communication, Expression & Sharing Ideas
My Dream Day helps students to:
- Express themselves creatively, using writing or drawing to communicate their hopes, interests, and positive visions.
- Share ideas respectfully, listening to peers’ dream days and learning about what makes others feel happy.
- Build confidence, talking about dreams, wishes, and small goals in a safe, positive space.
Empathy, Connection & Understanding Others
My Dream Day encourages students to:
- Appreciate that everyone has different hopes and interests, building respect for diverse ideas.
- Understand peers on a deeper level, learning what makes classmates feel excited, calm, or joyful.
- Strengthen relationships, as sharing dream days sparks conversations and connection.
Self-Regulation, Goal-Setting & Personal Agency
My Dream Day supports students to:
- Set achievable goals, identifying one small part of their dream day that can happen soon.
- Develop a sense of agency, understanding that they can influence their own happiness through planning and positive action.
- Practise reflective thinking, considering which choices help create positive moments in everyday life.
Optimism, Well-Being & Positive Future Thinking
My Dream Day helps students to:
- Look forward with excitement, imagining positive experiences in the future.
- Cultivate a hopeful mindset, focusing on possibilities rather than limitations.
- Strengthen well-being by engaging in uplifting, future-oriented reflection that inspires joy and motivation.
Respect, Inclusion & Safe Sharing
My Dream Day encourages students to:
- Share in a safe, supportive environment, knowing their ideas are valued and respected.
- Include all voices, ensuring every student’s dream, realistic or fantastical, is celebrated equally.
- Respect differences, acknowledging that dream days may vary greatly across students, and that diversity is wonderful.
African Safari
African Safari turns the classroom into a wild, story-driven movement adventure where students become explorers travelling across the African savannah. As the narrative unfolds, students duck, crawl, leap, and balance their way through encounters with flamingos, leopards, lions, and more. Each part of the journey pairs imaginative storytelling with simple fitness challenges, helping students stay active while pretending to navigate bumpy roads, escape rushing rhinos, and tiptoe past wild animals. The adventure encourages students to follow instructions, stay engaged, and throw themselves into the safari spirit with enthusiasm.
The activity blends creativity with physical exercise, giving students a chance to stretch their imaginations while building coordination, strength, and confidence. Because every movement ties into the story, students stay motivated and immersed from the moment they “board the bus” to the final cool-down. The safari format also supports teamwork and shared excitement, creating a lively and playful atmosphere where movement feels like part of the adventure. It’s a fun, energising way to bring fitness, imagination, and storytelling together in one memorable experience.
Respectful Relationships
Communication, Listening & Following Instructions
African Safari supports students to:
- Listen carefully to narrated story cues, responding with the correct movement at the right moment.
- Follow a sequence of imaginative actions, strengthening comprehension and the ability to act on verbal directions.
- Stay focused within a shared adventure, building confidence in group-based listening tasks.
Cooperation, Participation & Social Connection
African Safari helps students to:
- Move and explore together as a group, building a sense of teamwork during shared challenges like crawling, running, and hiding.
- Encourage their peers, especially during harder movements like army crawls, jabs, or one-legged squats.
- Develop a sense of belonging, as everyone experiences the excitement of the story together, no matter their fitness level.
Respect, Inclusion & Safe Movement
African Safari encourages students to:
- Respect personal space while jumping, crawling, and moving around the room.
- Include all classmates, as movements can be simplified or adapted to support different abilities and comfort levels.
- Practise safe body movements, learning how to control their bodies while navigating high-energy moments like rhino stampedes or lion encounters.
Emotional Literacy, Imagination & Creative Expression
African Safari supports students to:
- Immerse themselves in imaginative play, pretending to be explorers, animals, or adventurers in the African savanna.
- Connect emotions to story moments, such as excitement, bravery, curiosity, or caution.
- Build confidence, using playful movement to express creativity and engage fully in the storyline.
Self-Regulation, Focus & Body Awareness
African Safari helps students to:
- Shift between high-energy and calm movements, practising control during transitions from running to crouching to deep breathing.
- Develop awareness of their own bodies, understanding how different movements feel and learning to slow down or rest when needed.
- Enhance concentration, staying attentive to storytelling while coordinating their physical actions.
Resilience, Effort & Growth Mindset
African Safari encourages students to:
- Persist through challenging movements, such as leopard crawls, squat jumps, or step-ups.
- Celebrate effort, recognising that participation and trying their best are what make them successful adventurers.
- Embrace challenges with enthusiasm, learning that they can complete new or difficult movements through practice and play.
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge is a fast-paced, energetic game where students work in pairs to roll two dice, complete fun challenges, and eliminate numbers from their game sheet. Each dice total corresponds to a different task, encouraging students to stay active while cooperating with their partner to cross off every number from 2 to 12. Along the way, students problem-solve together, cheer each other on, and keep moving, even when rolling a number they’ve already completed. The game blends teamwork, communication, and physical activity into a simple but highly engaging partner challenge.
This activity encourages students to think strategically about how to tackle each task while practising positive social skills and supportive teamwork. Because every roll leads to an action, whether it’s a quick exercise, a playful movement, or a bonus challenge, students remain motivated and involved from start to finish. The Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge creates an upbeat, collaborative atmosphere that promotes active learning, resilience, and shared success, making it a perfect choice for classrooms, wellbeing sessions, or fun fitness breaks.
Download the FULL game resource HERE.
Respectful Relationships
Cooperation, Teamwork & Positive Social Interaction
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge supports students to:
- Work closely with a partner, sharing tasks and supporting each other through every challenge.
- Practise positive communication, using clear, kind language to plan, encourage, and problem-solve together.
- Build trust and connection, celebrating successes and staying supportive even when tasks get tricky.
Communication, Listening & Shared Decision-Making
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge helps students to:
- Discuss simple strategies, deciding together how to approach each movement or task.
- Listen actively, paying attention to their partner’s ideas and suggestions.
- Take turns respectfully, ensuring both students contribute to the teamwork experience.
Respect, Fair Play & Inclusion
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge encourages students to:
- Follow rules fairly, ensuring the game remains fun and safe for all players.
- Include their partner fully, recognising and balancing each other’s strengths.
- Engage kindly, showing patience, encouragement, and mutual respect as they complete each challenge.
Emotional Literacy, Encouragement & Empathy
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge supports students to:
- Notice how it feels to work with someone, building awareness of emotions like pride, excitement, or challenge.
- Show empathy, encouraging their partner with positive words and actions.
- Develop confidence, celebrating shared achievements and recognising the value of working together.
Self-Regulation, Focus & Perseverance
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge helps students to:
- Stay focused on multi-step tasks, following the sequence of roll, complete, cross off.
- Manage frustration, especially when rolls repeat or tasks become physically challenging.
- Practise persistence, understanding that completing all numbers takes effort, attention, and teamwork.
Problem-Solving, Thinking Skills & Independence
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge encourages students to:
- Make simple strategic choices, thinking about the best way to complete each task.
- Work through challenges actively, adapting movements or approaches as needed.
- Develop independent thinking, while still leaning on teamwork for success.
Physical Well-Being, Movement & Active Engagement
Dice Eliminator Partner Challenge supports students to:
- Stay physically active, completing varied movements such as jumping, hopping, clapping, or star jumps.
- Improve coordination and motor skills, through repeated movement-based tasks.
- Enjoy movement in a playful way, connecting fitness with fun and social interaction.
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