The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Thirty One is centred on spreading kindness, creativity, movement, and emotional connection throughout the classroom. Through playful and meaningful activities such as Kindness Catch, Kindness Garden, Pass the Smile, and Compliment Chain, students explore different ways of expressing care and positivity. These activities encourage students to speak kindly, move joyfully, share generously, and notice the good in themselves and others. By blending verbal expression, creative art making, physical play, and thoughtful reflection, students begin to understand that kindness can be shown in many different forms.
Together, the activities in Week Thirty One help build a classroom culture where every student feels seen, valued, and appreciated. Students practise giving and receiving kind words, collaborate to create a shared Kindness Garden, and engage in uplifting interactions that strengthen friendships and boost their confidence. Whether passing a smile, sharing a compliment, or drawing a flower that represents kindness, each activity reinforces the message that small, intentional actions can create a big ripple of positivity. This week lays a powerful foundation for emotional literacy, social connection, and a happy, supportive learning environment.
Weekly Lessons
Kindness Catch
Kindness Catch is a simple, joyful circle game that helps students practise sharing kind thoughts while building a caring classroom community. As the soft ball is gently rolled or tossed around the circle, each child shares something kind they can do or have already done, bringing kindness to life through their own words. This warm, inclusive activity encourages students to reflect on caring actions, express their ideas confidently, and recognise the small ways they can make a positive difference at school and at home.
The game also strengthens listening skills, turn-taking, and social connection as students celebrate each other’s ideas. With the option to include a picture of Earth as a visual anchor, Kindness Catch beautifully links to the first stop on the Playful Astronauts’ journey, reminding children that kindness helps us take care of one another and our planet. Gentle, engaging, and filled with positive energy, this activity is the perfect way to launch Week 1 with a focus on kindness, communication, and community.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity supports students to:
- Recognise what kindness looks and feels like in everyday situations.
- Reflect on their own ability to care for and support others.
- Build confidence in expressing caring thoughts and positive intentions aloud.
Empathy & Care for Others
Kindness Catch encourages students to:
- Think intentionally about how their actions affect others.
- Develop empathy by considering the needs, feelings, and experiences of peers.
- Recognise that small, thoughtful actions can make a meaningful difference.
Respectful Communication & Listening
Through turn-taking and sharing, students practise:
- Speaking clearly and respectfully in a group setting.
- Listening attentively while others share their ideas.
- Waiting patiently for their turn and valuing everyone’s contribution.
Positive Relationships & Peer Connection
This activity strengthens relationships by:
- Creating shared moments of positivity and kindness.
- Encouraging supportive peer-to-peer interactions.
- Helping students feel seen, heard, and valued within the group.
Belonging & Inclusive Participation
Kindness Catch promotes inclusion by:
- Providing a low-pressure, accessible way for all students to participate.
- Celebrating every student’s ideas equally, regardless of confidence or ability.
- Reinforcing the message that everyone belongs and has something positive to contribute.
Respect, Responsibility & Community Care
By linking kindness to caring for Earth and others, students:
- Begin to understand respect as caring for people, places, and the environment.
- Develop a sense of shared responsibility for creating a positive classroom community.
- Learn that respectful relationships extend beyond individuals to the wider world.
Creating a Safe, Respectful Classroom Culture
Kindness Catch helps to:
- Establish classroom norms of kindness, listening, and encouragement.
- Build emotional safety through predictable routines and respectful turn-taking.
- Lay strong foundations for ongoing respectful relationships and wellbeing learning.
Kindness Garden
Kindness Garden is a bright and meaningful creative activity that helps students recognise how kindness helps people, and our planet, grow. Each child designs their own flower, drawing or writing a kind act in the centre and decorating the petals with colour. As students reflect on everyday kindness, they practise fine motor skills, creativity, and self-expression, while beginning to understand that small caring actions can make a big difference at school, at home, and on Earth.
Once the flowers are complete, students proudly add them to a shared classroom display titled Our Kindness Garden. As the garden fills with colourful flowers, it becomes a visual celebration of kindness and a reminder of how every student can help make the classroom a happier place. By sharing their flowers and listening to each other's ideas, students build a supportive community culture where kindness is noticed, valued, and encouraged, perfectly reinforcing the Playful Astronauts’ first stop on Earth.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity supports students to:
- Recognise and name kind behaviours they can show in everyday life.
- Reflect on how their actions impact others and the world around them.
- Build pride and confidence in identifying themselves as kind, caring individuals.
Empathy & Understanding Others
Kindness Garden encourages students to:
- Think about how kindness helps others feel safe, happy, and supported.
- Consider the needs of people, animals, and the environment.
- Develop empathy by recognising that small actions can make a big difference.
Respectful Communication & Listening
Through sharing and discussion, students practise:
- Explaining their ideas clearly and respectfully.
- Listening attentively to others’ kind actions without interrupting.
- Valuing different perspectives and learning from peers’ ideas.
Positive Relationships & Prosocial Behaviour
This activity strengthens relationships by:
- Encouraging students to commit to positive, caring behaviours.
- Reinforcing kindness as a key part of healthy friendships and communities.
- Celebrating thoughtful actions that support others’ well-being.
Belonging, Inclusion & Contribution
Kindness Garden promotes belonging by:
- Giving every student an equal opportunity to contribute to a shared display.
- Visually representing that everyone’s kindness matters and belongs.
- Helping students feel connected to a collective classroom identity.
Respect, Responsibility & Care for the World
By linking kindness to Earth, students:
- Learn that respect includes caring for people, animals, and the environment.
- Develop a sense of responsibility for making their classroom and planet better.
- Understand that respectful relationships extend beyond individuals to the wider community.
Creating a Safe, Respectful Classroom Culture
Kindness Garden helps to:
- Establish shared expectations around kindness and respectful behaviour.
- Build emotional safety through positive reinforcement and celebration.
- Create a visual reminder of the class’s commitment to care, respect, and connection.
Pass the Smile
Pass the Smile is a joyful, movement-based circle game that helps students share kindness without using words. Through simple gestures like smiling, waving, or striking a silly pose, children pass positive energy around the circle, discovering how small actions can make others feel happy and included. As each student adds a playful movement, such as a hop, spin, wiggle, or skip, they build confidence in expressing themselves while practising coordination and controlled body movement.
As the smiles travel around the circle, the classroom fills with laughter, friendliness, and connection. Each student gets the chance to brighten someone’s day and receive kindness in return, reinforcing the idea that joy is something we can share easily and often. This activity beautifully supports the Playful Astronauts’ Earth mission, reminding children that kindness is contagious and that even the smallest gestures can bring a whole group together.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity supports students to:
- Recognise how non-verbal actions (smiles, gestures, movement) express emotions.
- Become aware of how their body language can communicate joy, kindness, and inclusion.
- Build confidence in expressing positive emotions in a group setting.
Empathy & Understanding Others
Pass the Smile encourages students to:
- Notice how kind gestures make others feel happy, included, and valued.
- Experience empathy by both giving and receiving positive non-verbal communication.
- Understand that small actions can have a powerful emotional impact on others.
Respectful Communication (Verbal & Non-Verbal)
Through this game, students practise:
- Using respectful body language to communicate positivity.
- Reading and responding to others’ non-verbal cues.
- Engaging in shared interaction without words, reinforcing that communication is more than speaking.
Positive Relationships & Prosocial Behaviour
This activity strengthens relationships by:
- Encouraging friendly interactions and shared joy.
- Reinforcing kindness as a behaviour that builds trust and connection.
- Promoting playful, supportive interactions that help friendships grow.
Turn-Taking, Cooperation & Fair Play
Pass the Smile helps students to:
- Take turns patiently and respectfully within a group.
- Follow shared rules and rhythms of a group activity.
- Cooperate to keep the game flowing smoothly and inclusively.
Belonging, Inclusion & Classroom Connection
This activity promotes belonging by:
- Ensuring every student participates and is seen.
- Creating a shared experience where each contribution matters.
- Building a sense of collective joy and togetherness within the circle.
Respect, Boundaries & Safe Participation
Students learn to:
- Move their bodies in ways that are fun yet respectful of others’ space.
- Be mindful of how their actions affect the comfort of peers.
- Express themselves safely within agreed group boundaries.
Creating a Safe, Positive Classroom Culture
Pass the Smile supports a respectful environment by:
- Establishing kindness, joy, and encouragement as shared values.
- Reducing social barriers through laughter and movement.
- Setting a positive emotional tone that supports respectful relationships across the day.
Compliment Chain
Compliment Chain is a heart-warming circle activity that helps students experience the joy of giving and receiving kind words. As the compliment travels from one student to the next, the group creates a ripple of positivity, each child offering a simple, heartfelt message to brighten someone else’s day. Whether it’s praising a classmate’s helpfulness, smile, or kindness, students learn how powerful their words can be and how easy it is to make someone feel valued and appreciated.
As the chain moves around the circle, confidence grows, smiles spread, and the classroom fills with warmth and connection. Students learn to listen, receive kindness with gratitude, and then pass it forward, creating a continuous circle of care. This activity beautifully aligns with the Earth theme of The Playful Astronauts mission, showing students that kindness is something they can grow, share, and nurture every single day, just like helping our world become a happier and more caring place.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity supports students to:
- Recognise and name positive qualities in themselves and others.
- Understand how kind words can influence emotions such as happiness, pride, and confidence.
- Reflect on how giving and receiving compliments makes them feel.
Empathy & Understanding Others
Compliment Chain encourages students to:
- Consider how their words might make someone else feel valued and appreciated.
- Develop empathy by noticing strengths, efforts, and kindness in their peers.
- Experience the emotional impact of kindness from both perspectives, giver and receiver.
Respectful Communication (Verbal & Listening Skills)
Through this activity, students practise:
- Expressing positive messages using respectful and kind language.
- Listening attentively when others speak to them.
- Responding appropriately to compliments with gratitude (e.g. smiling or saying thank you).
Positive Relationships & Prosocial Behaviour
This activity strengthens relationships by:
- Reinforcing kindness, encouragement, and appreciation as everyday behaviours.
- Building trust and connection through positive peer-to-peer interactions.
- Encouraging students to look for the good in others and express it openly.
Turn-Taking, Cooperation & Fair Play
Compliment Chain helps students to:
- Take turns respectfully within a group setting.
- Wait patiently while others speak.
- Contribute fairly to a shared group experience.
Belonging, Inclusion & Classroom Connection
This activity promotes belonging by:
- Ensuring every student both gives and receives kindness.
- Creating a shared experience where all voices matter.
- Strengthening the sense of being seen, valued, and included within the group.
Respect, Care & Consideration for Others
Students learn to:
- Use words that uplift rather than hurt.
- Be mindful of how language affects others’ feelings.
- Show care and appreciation in socially safe and respectful ways.
Creating a Safe, Positive Classroom Culture
Compliment Chain supports a respectful environment by:
- Establishing kindness and gratitude as classroom norms.
- Encouraging positive peer interactions and reducing social exclusion.
- Reinforcing that small acts of kindness can create a ripple effect throughout the community.
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