The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Seventeen focuses on strengthening memory, emotional intelligence, physical fitness, and resilience through fun, interactive, and reflective activities. Students build social connections and confidence through the Name Relations Game, a lively activity that boosts memory recall and encourages cooperation as students learn each other’s names and link them with creative food items. The Feelings Journal deepens emotional awareness, helping students identify, reflect on, and express different emotions through drawing and writing, promoting self-awareness and emotional regulation. Together, these activities support positive communication, self-expression, and relationship-building in a supportive and engaging environment.
Physical activity and resilience take centre stage with 4 Corners and Resilience Role Models. In 4 Corners, students engage in fast-paced movement, strategic thinking, and teamwork while completing exercises and competing in Rock, Paper, Scissors at each station; this develops agility, coordination, and perseverance. Resilience Role Models encourages students to recognise and reflect on individuals who inspire them through courage and determination, helping them understand how resilience can shape their own lives. Across the week, students stay active, think deeply, and connect meaningfully, developing social, emotional, and physical skills that build confidence and resilience.
Weekly Lessons
Name Relations Game
Name Relations Game is a playful and memorable way for students to learn each other’s names while strengthening memory and building social connection. By matching their name with a food beginning with the same letter, students create a fun mental link that not only helps them remember their peers but also sparks plenty of laughter and creativity. As the game builds around the circle, students practise active listening and attention, working together to recall each person’s name and chosen food. This shared challenge creates a supportive atmosphere where students help one another succeed.
By the time the final player recites the full sequence, the group has built a collective memory and a stronger sense of togetherness. The activity naturally encourages inclusivity, teamwork, and confidence, especially as students cheer each other on or assist when someone gets stuck. Name Relations Game becomes more than just an icebreaker, it’s a simple, joyful ritual that brings the group closer while boosting memory, focus, and positive social interaction.
Respectful Relationships
Empathy, Kindness & Positive Relationships
The Name Relations Game encourages students to:
- Learn and correctly recall each other’s names, helping build a sense of belonging and positive connection.
- Show interest in their peers by listening carefully and remembering their chosen food item.
- Create an inclusive environment where everyone feels acknowledged and valued.
Respect, Fair Play & Community Responsibility
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Take turns respectfully and listen attentively as others share.
- Support classmates who get stuck by offering help, reinforcing a culture of encouragement and teamwork.
- Value each person’s contribution as essential to the growing sequence in the game.
Self-Awareness, Social Identity & Personal Expression
This game allows students to:
- Introduce themselves in a fun and personalised way through the food-item connection.
- Share a little about their interests, helping others understand and remember them better.
- Build confidence speaking in front of others in a low-pressure, playful format.
Self-Regulation, Focus & Cognitive Flexibility
The Name Relations Game supports students to:
- Stay focused and listen deeply to remember the sequence of names and foods.
- Manage the pressure of recalling information in front of others while staying calm and positive.
- Practise cognitive flexibility by updating and expanding the memory chain as each new player adds their name.
Communication, Collaboration & Cooperative Learning
This activity enables students to:
- Practise clear communication by saying names confidently and audibly.
- Work together as a supportive group, especially when someone struggles to recall a name or food item.
- Strengthen group cohesion by building a shared, cumulative “story” built on every classmate’s contribution.
My Self-Respect Plan
My Self-Respect Plan invites students to pause and think about the small but powerful ways they can take care of themselves each day. By choosing three meaningful actions, like using kind self-talk, taking a break when they need it, or doing something that brings them joy, students begin to see how daily habits shape their sense of self-worth. The activity encourages them to notice what helps them feel calm, confident, and valued, building a stronger connection to their own well-being. Through drawing or writing, they bring these intentions to life in a creative and personal way.
As students reflect on why these actions matter, they begin to understand that self-respect isn’t something abstract; it’s something they actively practise. Sharing their ideas with classmates helps normalise conversations about self-care and gives everyone new strategies they can try. My Self-Respect Plan becomes a simple, grounding ritual that empowers students to choose behaviours that support their emotional well-being and reminds them that respecting themselves is an everyday practice worth celebrating.
Respectful Relationships
Self-Awareness, Emotional Well-Being & Personal Identity
My Self-Respect Plan encourages students to:
- Identify ways to care for their emotional, physical, and mental well-being.
- Notice their own needs and reflect on how daily actions impact their happiness and confidence.
- Build a stronger sense of identity by recognising what helps them feel respected, valued, and safe within themselves.
Respect for Self & Positive Self-Concept
Through this activity, students learn to:
- Understand that treating themselves kindly is an essential form of respect.
- Acknowledge the importance of setting healthy boundaries, practising kindness toward themselves, and choosing actions that support their well-being.
- Build self-esteem by celebrating small choices that show they matter.
Self-Regulation, Help-Seeking & Healthy Coping
This activity supports students to:
- Identify simple, practical actions they can take to care for their mind and body (e.g., rest, kind self-talk, calm-down routines).
- Reflect on how self-care strategies make them feel more grounded, calm, and capable.
- Develop early help-seeking habits by recognising when they need support and how they can advocate for themselves.
Communication, Reflection & Personal Expression
My Self-Respect Plan allows students to:
- Communicate their needs and ideas through writing, drawing, and sharing.
- Reflect on why each chosen action is meaningful and how it contributes to their well-being.
- Express their goals in creative ways, reinforcing their commitment to practising self-respect.
Positive Relationships & Community Well-Being
By learning to respect themselves, students also:
- Strengthen their ability to build positive relationships, as self-respect helps them set boundaries and interact kindly with others.
- Understand that caring for themselves contributes to a more respectful, understanding classroom community.
- Recognise that everyone’s well-being matters, including their own.
Four Corners
Four Corners is a high-energy fitness game that blends movement, strategy, and friendly competition. Students race through four stations, completing quick exercises like tuck jumps, push-ups, star jumps, and squats while also playing Rock, Paper, Scissors to progress from one corner to the next. The combination of physical activity and rapid decision-making helps students build agility, coordination, focus, and confidence as they progress through the course at their own pace. Each lap through the four corners earns a playing card, adding a motivating challenge that keeps students engaged and excited to push themselves.
Beyond the fun and fitness benefits, the game encourages perseverance and teamwork as students encourage one another and stay motivated to keep going. Winning and losing rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors teaches emotional resilience and sportsmanship, while the constant movement between corners builds stamina and determination. Four Corners is a dynamic, versatile activity that promotes physical health, strategic thinking, and a positive competitive spirit in a supportive, energising environment.
Respectful Relationships
Social Awareness, Teamwork & Relationship Building
Four Corners encourages students to:
- Interact positively with different peers through repeated Rock–Paper–Scissors match-ups.
- Share space respectfully, take turns, and negotiate new partners independently.
- Build social confidence by engaging with many classmates in quick, friendly interactions.
Emotional Literacy & Managing Competitive Emotions
This activity supports students to:
- Notice their emotional responses to winning, losing, effort, and pressure.
- Practise staying calm, positive, and resilient when they lose a round and must complete an exercise.
- Celebrate others’ success while managing their own feelings, strengthening emotional regulation.
Decision-Making, Problem-Solving & Strategic Thinking
Through Rock, Paper, Scissors rounds and movement challenges, students learn to:
- Make quick strategic decisions based on outcomes.
- Persist through setbacks, adjust thinking, and keep moving forward.
- Recognise how choices and effort affect their progress around the course.
Respect for Self, Health & Well-Being
Four Corners helps students:
- Strengthen their physical fitness, coordination, and body awareness through repeated movement.
- Understand the importance of perseverance and personal effort when faced with difficulty.
- Build a growth mindset by challenging themselves to keep working, even when tired or behind.
Communication, Cooperation & Fair Play
Students demonstrate respectful behaviour when they:
- Follow the game rules, play honestly, and acknowledge Rock–Paper–Scissors outcomes fairly.
- Support peers by helping them find partners quickly and maintaining a positive atmosphere.
- Use non-verbal communication (hand raises, movement cues) to stay organised and inclusive.
Resilience Role Models
Resilience Role Models gives students a chance to explore what resilience really looks like by learning from inspiring people, both famous figures and individuals from their own lives. Through stories, discussions, and creative reflection, students begin to understand resilience as the ability to keep going, learn from challenges, and bounce back when things get tough. Looking at athletes, leaders, historical figures, or beloved characters helps them see that setbacks are normal and that perseverance is a powerful tool anyone can develop.
Students then connect this idea to their own world by identifying a personal role model who shows resilience. Whether it’s a parent, sibling, teacher, or fictional hero, they reflect on the challenges that person faced and how they pushed through. Drawing or writing about their role model helps students express why this person inspires them and how they can use similar strengths in their own lives. Resilience Role Models encourages students to recognise resilience as a skill they can grow, empowering them to face challenges with confidence and a positive mindset.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Understanding Feelings
This activity supports students to:
- Build awareness of how people feel during setbacks, challenges, or failures.
- Recognise the emotional journey of resilience, frustration, sadness, determination, pride.
- Understand that difficult emotions are normal and can be worked through with support and effort.
Personal Strengths & Positive Identity
Through identifying resilient role models, students learn to:
- Recognise strengths such as perseverance, courage, self-belief, and determination.
- Reflect on the strengths shown by admired people and relate them to their own capabilities.
- Build confidence by understanding that resilience is a skill they can develop too.
Positive Coping & Help-Seeking
The activity encourages students to:
- Explore healthy coping strategies demonstrated by resilient role models.
- Understand that asking for help, practising, resting, and trying again are positive choices.
- Reflect on how role models navigated challenges and how similar strategies could support them.
Respectful Relationships & Social Awareness
Students develop relationship skills by:
- Sharing stories of resilient people they admire and listening respectfully to others.
- Understanding how people support one another during challenges.
- Recognising resilience in peers, family, teachers, and community figures, strengthening connection.
Decision-Making, Problem-Solving & Growth Mindset
Students strengthen their thinking skills by:
- Examining real examples of overcoming adversity and the decisions involved.
- Understanding that challenges can be opportunities to grow rather than reasons to give up.
- Reflecting on how they can apply resilience strategies when they face obstacles.
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