The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Twenty-Six brings together a powerful mix of creativity, empathy, physical activity, and self-reflection. Students begin the week with Catch Me If You Can, a playful observation game that strengthens memory, attention to detail, and effective communication. In Dreams for the World, students shift from noticing the small details to thinking big, exploring the positive changes they want to see in their community and the wider world. This reflective activity helps them connect their personal values with meaningful action, fostering empathy, social awareness, and a sense of responsibility.
The week also includes energising movement and heartfelt kindness tasks. Colour Run keeps students active, boosting their reflexes, agility, and ability to follow fast-paced cues. To complement the physical challenge, Secret Acts of Kindness encourages students to look outward and uplift others through anonymous, thoughtful gestures. This balance of movement, compassion, and creativity helps students develop important life skills, observing closely, acting kindly, thinking deeply, and moving with purpose, while strengthening classroom community and personal well-being.
Weekly Lessons
Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can is a lively, connection-building activity that strengthens students’ observation skills, attention to detail, and short-term memory. By studying a partner’s appearance closely and then identifying subtle changes, students learn to focus carefully and recall visual information quickly. The game encourages curiosity and sharpens awareness in a fun, low-pressure way that keeps everyone engaged.
Beyond the cognitive benefits, this activity also boosts communication and social interaction. Students work in pairs, noticing details, sharing observations, and discussing what changed, all while building trust and rapport. The quick rounds and optional accessories add playfulness and laughter, helping students feel comfortable with new peers and strengthening classroom relationships. Catch Me If You Can is a simple yet powerful way to develop observation, memory, and connection through play.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity helps students to:
- Strengthen awareness of visual cues and subtle changes in others’ appearance, supporting emotional literacy and observation.
- Notice how attention and focus influence their ability to understand others.
- Reflect on how being observed or noticing changes can affect their feelings.
Positive Relationships, Trust & Social Awareness
Students learn to:
- Build trust with their partner through careful observation and respectful interaction.
- Strengthen peer relationships by engaging in a playful task that requires teamwork and cooperation.
- Understand that noticing others respectfully can deepen connection and awareness of social cues.
Communication, Interaction & Active Listening
Through partner work, students practise:
- Communicating clearly and kindly when identifying changes or discussing observations.
- Listening and responding with empathy as partners share what they noticed.
- Engaging in safe, respectful communication that strengthens interpersonal confidence.
Respect, Boundaries & Social Norms
This activity reinforces:
- Respecting personal space while observing others appropriately and safely.
- Understanding the difference between helpful, respectful noticing versus invasive or unkind comments.
- Participating in a shared task where everyone feels safe, valued, and included.
Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking & Collaboration
Students develop:
- Strategic observation and memory skills to identify changes accurately.
- Collaborative problem-solving as they discuss and compare observations with partners.
- Flexibility as they rotate partners and adapt to working with different people in the class.
Confidence, Help-Seeking & Peer Support
Catch Me If You Can encourages students to:
- Build confidence in their ability to communicate clearly and respectfully.
- Seek support from peers when unsure (“What did you notice first?”) and learn from others’ strategies.
- Appreciate the strengths each partner brings to the activity.
Dreams for the World
Dreams for the World invites students to imagine a brighter future and consider the role they can play in creating it. Through reflection and creativity, they explore one meaningful change they’d like to see, whether it’s spreading kindness, protecting nature, helping others feel included, or solving a problem they care about. By writing or drawing their ideas, students begin to connect their personal hopes with real-world possibilities, strengthening their sense of social responsibility and agency.
As students share and discuss their visions, the activity sparks empathy, curiosity, and rich conversation about how individual actions, small or large, can make a positive difference. It encourages students to think not just about what they want, but how their choices can impact others and contribute to a more caring, sustainable, and connected world. Dreams for the World becomes a powerful reminder that even the youngest voices can inspire meaningful change, especially when a classroom comes together with big hearts and bold ideas.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity encourages students to:
- Reflect on what matters most to them and why certain issues, ideas, or changes feel important.
- Recognise their own emotions connected to fairness, kindness, justice, or care for the environment.
- Understand how their feelings can motivate positive action in the world.
Positive Relationships, Empathy & Social Awareness
Students learn to:
- Consider the needs, challenges, and feelings of others on a local or global scale.
- Develop empathy by imagining how their positive change would support people, animals, or the environment.
- Appreciate the diverse passions and ideas of their classmates and how every voice contributes to a better world.
Respect, Inclusion & Community Contribution
Through discussion and drawing/writing, students explore:
- How individual actions, no matter how small, contribute to the well-being of others and the community.
- The importance of belonging, kindness, equity, and working together as a collective.
- Ways to respect different perspectives when imagining how the world could be improved.
Communication, Collaboration & Active Listening
Students practise:
- Communicating their ideas clearly through writing, drawing, and sharing with peers.
- Listening to others' visions for a better world and responding respectfully.
- Building confidence as they participate in whole-class dialogues about hope, change, and collective action.
Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking & Agency
This activity develops:
- The ability to identify a problem they care about and propose a meaningful, constructive solution.
- Early leadership skills by considering the impact of their actions and ideas.
- A sense of agency, understanding that even young people can inspire and initiate change.
Well-being, Purpose & Hope
Students are supported to:
- Feel hopeful and empowered by imagining a positive future.
- Experience the well-being benefits of connecting their strengths and values with real-world action.
- Understand that helping others and caring for the world contributes to personal fulfilment and community happiness.
Colour Run
Colour Run is a high-energy, fast-paced movement game that challenges students to listen carefully, think quickly, and move their bodies with purpose. By responding instantly to colour cues, each linked to a different physical action, students build speed, agility, and sharper reflexes in a fun and playful environment. The changing colours and rapid transitions keep everyone engaged, encouraging students to stay focused and react with confidence as they practise a range of movements like running, jumping, squatting, and spinning.
Beyond the physical benefits, Colour Run strengthens listening skills and supports a positive attitude toward fitness by making exercise feel exciting and enjoyable. As students switch between movements, laugh together, and cheer each other on, they build a sense of connection and shared fun. The activity can be adapted easily to any space or age group, making it a versatile go-to energiser that boosts both physical and mental engagement in the classroom.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity helps students:
- Tune into their body’s signals (energy, focus, excitement) as they respond to fast-changing cues.
- Practise staying calm and regulated while switching quickly between movements.
- Build awareness of how physical activity affects their emotions and ability to concentrate.
Positive Relationships, Empathy & Social Awareness
Students develop social skills by:
- Participating in a shared, high-energy activity that requires awareness of others’ space and movement.
- Encouraging classmates, celebrating effort, and contributing to a supportive class environment.
- Recognising that everyone responds at different speeds and showing kindness and patience throughout the activity.
Respect, Inclusion & Community Contribution
This activity strengthens respectful behaviour by:
- Reinforcing the importance of following group expectations and listening respectfully to instructions.
- Ensuring all students can participate regardless of ability, with movements that can be adapted as needed.
- Building a sense of group belonging through collective movement, shared goals, and playful teamwork.
Communication, Collaboration & Active Listening
Students practise essential communication skills by:
- Listening carefully to verbal cues and responding immediately and appropriately.
- Interpreting and acting on instructions quickly, which builds listening accuracy and concentration.
- Leading the group (when taking turns calling colours) and practising clear communication under time pressure.
Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking & Decision-Making
This activity helps students:
- React rapidly and think on their feet as they hear colour cues and choose the correct movement.
- Adapt their body’s actions with speed and accuracy, strengthening decision-making in real time.
- Build cognitive flexibility by switching between movements, speeds, and sequences.
Wellbeing, Physical Activity & Stress Regulation
Colour Run promotes:
- Physical fitness through bursts of aerobic movement, strength exercises, and agility challenges.
- Regulation skills, as students practise shifting between high-energy movement and moments of focus.
- Positive wellbeing by embedding fun, laughter, and movement, all important protective factors for mental health.
Secret Acts of Kindness
Secret Acts of Kindness is a gentle, joyful way to help students practise kindness without the pressure of being noticed or praised. By writing a thoughtful act of kindness and placing it anonymously into an envelope, students shift their focus from receiving attention to experiencing the quiet joy of giving. Over the course of the week, students select an envelope at random and complete the secret kindness mission inside, helping them understand that even small actions, like a quiet compliment, a little extra help, or a thoughtful gesture, can brighten someone’s day in meaningful ways.
This activity also deepens empathy as students reflect on how their actions may have made others feel and consider the ripple effect that kindness can create within their classroom community. As the week progresses, the room naturally becomes filled with curiosity, gratitude, and positive energy, reinforcing the idea that everyone plays a part in shaping a supportive and caring environment. It's a simple, powerful reminder that kindness is most magical when it’s given freely and quietly, just because we can.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity helps students:
- Recognise their own feelings when giving kindness anonymously, building awareness of how positive actions affect their emotional state.
- Reflect on the internal rewards of kindness (warmth, pride, happiness), reinforcing emotional regulation through prosocial behaviour.
- Understand that kindness can be expressed without seeking attention, strengthening intrinsic motivation and self-worth.
Positive Relationships, Empathy & Social Awareness
Students develop empathy and relationship skills by:
- Considering how their actions make others feel and anticipating the emotional impact of thoughtful gestures.
- Strengthening their understanding of others' needs and experiences by selecting meaningful acts of kindness.
- Enhancing social connectedness and belonging through anonymous support, creating a class culture where kindness is expected and normalised.
Respect, Inclusion & Community Contribution
This activity supports respectful behaviours by:
- Encouraging students to treat others with care, generosity, and consideration, foundational aspects of a respectful community.
- Promoting inclusion by ensuring everyone receives kindness, regardless of friendship groups, abilities, or social status.
- Reinforcing the idea that everyone contributes to a positive class environment through their actions, even when unseen.
Communication, Collaboration & Active Listening
Students refine communication skills by:
- Practising thoughtful written communication as they create meaningful kindness challenges.
- Observing classmates with sensitivity to determine how to complete their secret act without disrupting learning or causing discomfort.
- Sharing reflections at the end of the week to practise respectful listening and supportive discussion.
Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking & Decision-Making
Students strengthen thinking skills by:
- Choosing an appropriate, achievable act of kindness and planning how to execute it discreetly.
- Adapting their approach if their original idea doesn’t work, encouraging flexibility and creative problem-solving.
- Reflecting on the outcomes of their actions, what worked, what felt meaningful, and how kindness shapes group behaviour.
Well-being, Emotional Regulation & Stress Management
This activity promotes well-being by:
- Creating moments of joy, surprise, and connection that support positive mental health.
- Teaching that giving kindness can reduce stress and increase feelings of calm, pride, and belonging.
- Establishing a safe, supportive classroom atmosphere where pro-social behaviour becomes a protective well-being factor for all students.
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