The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Thirty Seven strengthens the life skill of resilience by showing students that challenges are opportunities to grow, not reasons to give up. Through playful activities inspired by Uranus, a planet that teaches us the power of doing things differently, students learn that effort, patience, and courage matter more than getting things perfect. Whether they are rebuilding a tower that has fallen, creating pages in their “I Can Try” booklet, or bouncing back during a physical challenge, each experience helps them understand that persistence is something to be proud of. These activities encourage students to try, to try again, and to smile through the learning process.
Across the week, students also experience the joy of community support through My Cheer Squad, where they share moments of determination and applaud each other’s courage. This celebration of effort builds emotional strength, confidence, and a positive classroom culture. By blending creativity, movement, reflection, and shared encouragement, Week Thirty Seven teaches children that resilience comes from staying calm, trying again, and believing in themselves. Just like Uranus spinning in its own unique way, students learn that being different, brave, and persistent makes them wonderfully strong.
Weekly Lessons
Try Again Towers
Try Again Towers is a playful and supportive building challenge that helps students discover the power of resilience. As they stack cups, blocks, or recycled materials into towers that may wobble or fall, children learn that mistakes and setbacks are simply part of the process. The activity encourages calm breathing, positive thinking, and trying again with a smile, creating a safe space where effort matters far more than perfection. Each rebuild becomes an opportunity to strengthen problem-solving skills, patience, and emotional regulation.
Working in pairs or small groups, students collaborate, encourage one another, and celebrate each attempt, successful or not. This shared experience builds teamwork and confidence as they realise they can keep going even when things don’t go to plan. Inspired by Uranus, the planet that spins in a wonderfully unique way, Try Again Towers teaches young learners that challenges can be embraced with courage, creativity, and an open mind. Every fall is just a chance to rise again, stronger, calmer, and proud of the effort they bring.
Respectful Relationships
Resilience & Perseverance
This activity supports students to:
- Understand that mistakes and setbacks are a normal part of learning.
- Practise trying again when something doesn’t work the first time.
- Build persistence and confidence through repeated effort.
Emotional Regulation & Coping Skills
Students are encouraged to:
- Notice feelings such as frustration or disappointment when a tower falls.
- Practise calming strategies like smiling, breathing, and resetting.
- Learn that strong emotions can be managed in healthy ways.
Growth Mindset & Positive Self-Talk
“Try Again Towers” helps students to:
- Shift focus from outcomes to effort and learning.
- Use positive language such as “I’ll try again” or “I’m learning.”
- Understand that ability grows through practice, not perfection.
Teamwork & Collaboration
Through shared building challenges, students learn to:
- Work cooperatively with peers toward a common goal.
- Encourage one another when things go wrong.
- Share ideas, problem-solve together, and take turns respectfully.
Respectful Responses to Challenge
This activity promotes:
- Respectful behaviour during moments of difficulty.
- Patience with self and others when tasks don’t go as planned.
- A classroom culture that values effort over competition.
Positive Risk-Taking
Students are supported to:
- Take small risks by trying new building ideas.
- Accept that failure may happen and that this is safe and okay.
- Develop courage to keep going despite uncertainty.
Empathy & Peer Support
As students observe others struggling or succeeding, they learn to:
- Recognise how frustration can feel for themselves and others.
- Offer encouragement, reassurance, and shared problem-solving.
- Celebrate effort in peers, not just final success.
Self-Belief & Confidence
By repeatedly rebuilding, students develop:
- Confidence in their ability to cope with setbacks.
- Trust in their capacity to improve with time and practice.
- A sense of pride in effort and persistence.
Problem-Solving & Reflection
This activity encourages students to:
- Reflect on what worked and what didn’t in their building attempts.
- Adjust strategies rather than giving up.
- Understand learning as a process of experimentation.
Classroom Culture of Safety & Acceptance
“Try Again Towers” helps create:
- A safe environment where mistakes are welcomed.
- Reduced fear of failure or embarrassment.
- A shared understanding that learning looks different for everyone.
"I Can Try" Booklet
The “I Can Try” Booklet is a gentle, confidence-building activity that helps students reflect on the things they are still learning and practising. By creating their own mini booklet filled with drawings or words about skills they want to keep trying, students begin to recognise that growth takes time and effort. This creative process encourages a positive mindset, reminding them that challenges aren’t something to fear, they’re opportunities to become stronger and more capable. Like Uranus, which spins in its own unique way, students learn that their personal challenges make them special and resilient.
As students decorate their booklets and celebrate their efforts, they develop pride in their progress and a deeper understanding of resilience. Sharing a page with their peers (if they choose to) builds confidence and inspires others, reinforcing that everyone is learning something. The “I Can Try” Booklet turns persistence into something joyful and meaningful, showing children that trying, again and again, is a powerful skill they can carry into every part of life.
Respectful Relationships
Resilience & Persistence
This activity supports students to:
- Recognise that learning takes time and effort.
- Understand that challenges are a normal part of growth.
- Build persistence by focusing on trying rather than giving up.
Growth Mindset & Learning Disposition
Students develop an understanding that:
- Skills grow through practice, not instant success.
- “I can’t yet” is part of learning, not failure.
- Effort is something to be proud of.
Emotional Awareness & Self-Reflection
Through creating their booklet, students are encouraged to:
- Reflect on tasks or skills they find tricky.
- Identify emotions linked to challenge, such as frustration, nervousness, or hope.
- Recognise how emotions show up when learning feels hard.
Positive Self-Talk & Self-Compassion
The booklet supports students to:
- Use encouraging language about themselves.
- Replace negative self-talk with phrases like “I’m learning” or “I can try again.”
- Practise kindness toward themselves when things feel difficult.
Confidence & Self-Belief
By naming what they are working on, students build:
- Confidence in their ability to keep improving.
- Pride in effort rather than outcome.
- Belief that trying itself is an achievement.
Autonomy & Personal Agency
Students are given opportunities to:
- Choose what challenges they want to include in their booklet.
- Take ownership of their learning journey.
- Express their experiences in a way that feels safe and personal.
Emotional Safety & Psychological Safety
This activity helps create:
- A classroom environment where students feel safe to admit they’re still learning.
- Reduced fear of being “wrong” or not good enough.
- Acceptance that everyone grows at their own pace.
Respect for Individual Differences
“I Can Try” reinforces that:
- Everyone finds different things challenging.
- Learning journeys look different for different people.
- Differences in ability or pace deserve respect, not comparison.
Peer Empathy & Encouragement
When students choose to share pages, they learn to:
- Listen respectfully to others’ learning challenges.
- Celebrate effort in peers rather than judging ability.
- Offer encouragement and support in kind, constructive ways.
Communication & Expressing Vulnerability
This activity gently introduces students to:
- Naming areas of growth in a non-threatening way.
- Sharing personal experiences when they feel ready.
- Understanding that vulnerability can build connection, not weakness.
Bounce Back Race
Bounce Back Race is a fun and energetic activity that uses movement to teach the powerful life skill of resilience. As students hop forward, gently fall, and bounce back up again, they learn that it’s normal to stumble and that getting up with a smile is what truly makes them strong. The game turns falling into something playful rather than scary, helping students build confidence in their bodies and emotions while staying active and engaged.
Inspired by Uranus, the planet that spins differently yet stays steady, the activity reminds students that everyone has their own way of learning and growing. With every hop, fall, and bounce, students practise persistence, courage, and positive self-talk. The shared cheering and laughter create a supportive environment where effort is celebrated, and each “bounce back” becomes a moment of pride and connection.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy
This activity supports students to:
- Recognise feelings such as frustration, excitement, disappointment, and pride during movement
- Notice emotional changes when they fall, recover, and succeed
- Understand that emotions are a natural part of learning and trying new things
Self-Regulation
This activity supports students to:
- Practise calming their body after falling or feeling frustrated
- Pause, breathe, and reset before continuing the challenge
- Develop control over reactions when things don’t go to plan
Resilience & Persistence
This activity supports students to:
- Experience setbacks in a safe, playful environment
- Practise “bouncing back” by getting up and continuing after a fall
- Build persistence by focusing on effort rather than success
Growth Mindset & Learning Disposition
This activity supports students to:
- Understand that learning involves mistakes and retries
- Develop the belief that “trying again” leads to improvement
- See effort as something positive and worth celebrating
Positive Coping Strategies
This activity supports students to:
- Use movement as a healthy way to manage frustration
- Practise positive self-talk such as “I can try again”
- Learn strategies for responding calmly when challenges arise
Relationships & Social Connection
This activity supports students to:
- Encourage peers and celebrate others’ efforts
- Show empathy and kindness when classmates fall or struggle
- Strengthen connection through shared play and laughter
Physical & Emotional Safety
This activity supports students to:
- Learn how to fall and move safely with body awareness
- Respect personal space and follow safety expectations
- Feel emotionally safe to make mistakes without judgment
Respectful Relationships & Help-Seeking
This activity supports students to:
- Accept encouragement and reassurance from others
- Understand that needing help is part of learning
- Build trust by experiencing support during challenging moments
My Cheer Squad
My Cheer Squad is a warm and confidence-building activity that helps students recognise the moments in their lives where they kept trying, even when things felt hard. By inviting children to reflect on a personal challenge they worked through, big or small, they begin to understand that resilience is something they already practise every day. Sitting together in a safe, supportive circle helps students share proudly, listen respectfully, and feel emotionally brave. Each child’s story becomes a celebration of effort, courage, and growth, just like Uranus in The Playful Astronauts, which reminds us that being different, trying again, and staying strong are all signs of resilience.
The cheering, clapping, and joyful encouragement from peers turns this reflection into a community-building experience. Students learn the power of lifting others up, offering gratitude, and celebrating successes that come from persistence rather than perfection. Whether they share a personal moment or simply cheer on their classmates, every participant contributes to a culture of kindness and support. My Cheer Squad reinforces that resilience doesn’t happen alone, we grow stronger together when we surround each other with positivity, encouragement, and belief.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy
This activity supports students to:
- Recognise feelings such as frustration, excitement, disappointment, and pride during movement
- Notice emotional changes when they fall, recover, and succeed
- Understand that emotions are a natural part of learning and trying new things
Self-Regulation
This activity supports students to:
- Practise calming their body after falling or feeling frustrated
- Pause, breathe, and reset before continuing the challenge
- Develop control over reactions when things don’t go to plan
Resilience & Persistence
This activity supports students to:
- Experience setbacks in a safe, playful environment
- Practise “bouncing back” by getting up and continuing after a fall
- Build persistence by focusing on effort rather than success
Growth Mindset & Learning Disposition
This activity supports students to:
- Understand that learning involves mistakes and retries
- Develop the belief that “trying again” leads to improvement
- See effort as something positive and worth celebrating
Positive Coping Strategies
This activity supports students to:
- Use movement as a healthy way to manage frustration
- Practise positive self-talk such as “I can try again”
- Learn strategies for responding calmly when challenges arise
Relationships & Social Connection
This activity supports students to:
- Encourage peers and celebrate others’ efforts
- Show empathy and kindness when classmates fall or struggle
- Strengthen connection through shared play and laughter
Physical & Emotional Safety
This activity supports students to:
- Learn how to fall and move safely with body awareness
- Respect personal space and follow safety expectations
- Feel emotionally safe to make mistakes without judgment
Respectful Relationships & Help-Seeking
This activity supports students to:
- Accept encouragement and reassurance from others
- Understand that needing help is part of learning
- Build trust by experiencing support during challenging moments
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