The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Foundation - Grade Two
Week Twenty-Three centres on teamwork, mindfulness, respect, and gratitude, offering a balanced blend of movement, reflection, and emotional learning. Activities like Hot and Cold and Shadow Movement strengthen communication, cooperation, and observation skills as students work together, give clear instructions, and practice coordinated movement. Students also engage in meaningful emotional reflection through My Favourite Memory, encouraging them to revisit joyful moments and express their feelings through writing or drawing. These activities build self-awareness, empathy, and expressive confidence while helping students recognise and celebrate the positive experiences in their lives.
The week also places intentional focus on mindfulness and respectful behaviour. Through the Gratitude Walk, students learn to pay attention to the beauty in their surroundings and articulate appreciation for the things that bring them joy. The I Am Respectful Pledge guides students to reflect deeply on how they treat others and commit to behaviours that foster kindness, safety, and inclusion. Together, these activities help students develop stronger communication skills, emotional awareness, and respectful habits, creating a classroom culture where everyone feels valued, supported, and connected.
Weekly Lessons
Hot and Cold
Hot and Cold is a lively, collaborative game that gets students moving, thinking, and working together as they guide a peer toward a hidden object using only verbal clues. One student steps outside while the group chooses an item in the room to “hide in plain sight.” When the finder returns, the rest of the group uses cues like “hot” (you’re getting closer!) and “cold” (you’re moving away!) to steer them in the right direction. The game is simple, energetic, and packed with opportunities for students to practise active listening and problem-solving as they interpret and respond to the cues.
As roles switch and each student becomes both finder and guide, the room fills with teamwork, communication, and lots of excitement. Students must cooperate to give helpful hints, think creatively when offering extra clues, and support each other as they move around the space searching for the target object. Hot and Cold strengthens verbal communication, builds trust, and boosts confidence, showing students just how powerful teamwork can be when everyone listens, supports, and celebrates each other’s success.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This game supports students to:
- Recognise how it feels to give and receive guidance in a group setting.
- Notice emotions such as excitement, frustration, curiosity, or relief during the search process.
- Reflect on how they stay calm and focused while listening to cues and solving a problem.
Positive Coping & Problem-Solving
Students practise:
- Using verbal cues and careful observation to navigate uncertainty.
- Managing the challenge of not knowing the answer right away and persisting until the object is found.
- Developing flexible thinking by adjusting their movements based on group feedback.
Social Awareness, Empathy & Relationship Skills
The activity builds connection by helping students:
- Work together respectfully by offering supportive, helpful cues.
- Consider how their words influence others’ actions and confidence.
- Empathise with the finder’s experience by giving clear, kind, and encouraging communication.
Help-Seeking, Support & Collaboration
Students learn to:
- Ask for help appropriately (“Clue needed please”) and accept guidance from peers.
- Offer assistance in a non-critical, positive way while following the rules.
- Build trust in their group by relying on one another to complete the activity.
Communication, Trust & Teamwork
This activity strengthens:
- Verbal and non-verbal communication skills, including clear instructions and active listening.
- Teamwork as students unite around a shared goal and coordinate their cues.
- The class environment by reinforcing cooperation, encouragement, and mutual success.
My Favourite Memory
My Favourite Memory invites students to slow down and reconnect with the moments that have brought them the most joy. Through gentle reflection, they choose a happy or meaningful memory and explore why it stands out. Whether it’s a family moment, a fun adventure, a proud achievement, or something simple that made their heart feel full, students learn to recognise and honour the positive experiences that shape who they are. This activity nurtures emotional awareness and encourages students to notice the feelings connected to their memories, helping them build gratitude and a stronger sense of well-being.
Students then bring their memories to life through writing or drawing, expressing the details that make the moment special. Sharing their memories with classmates, either through guessing drawings or discussing written stories, creates connection and strengthens empathy as students learn about the joyful experiences of others. My Favourite Memory reinforces the power of focusing on positive experiences, offering students a meaningful way to celebrate what matters most to them.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity supports students to:
- Reflect on their feelings by identifying a memory that made them feel happy, loved, proud, or peaceful.
- Build emotional vocabulary by describing the emotions connected to their chosen memory.
- Recognise how positive memories help them understand themselves and what matters most to them.
Personal Strengths & Identity
Students practise:
- Exploring meaningful personal experiences that shape who they are.
- Identifying what brings them joy, comfort, or confidence.
- Strengthening their sense of identity by celebrating experiences that are important to them.
Positive Coping & Well-Being
The activity encourages students to:
- Use happy memories as a positive coping tool when they feel stressed or worried.
- Understand how recalling positive experiences supports emotional well-being.
- Build gratitude by focusing attention on moments that uplift them.
Empathy, Inclusiveness & Social Awareness
This activity helps students:
- Listen to and appreciate the meaningful experiences of others.
- Understand that everyone values different things and moments.
- Build empathy by hearing or guessing peers' memories and appreciating their emotions and perspectives.
Communication & Relationships
Students develop:
- Communication skills through sharing their memory verbally or visually.
- Connection as they learn more about their peers' happy moments.
- Confidence in expressing personal stories in a safe, supportive environment.
Shadow Movement
Shadow Movement is a playful, high-focus activity that helps students strengthen their observation skills, body control, and creativity. By mirroring a leader’s actions as closely as possible, students learn to pay attention to detail, matching speed, posture, and movement with precision. This builds coordination, balance, and awareness of how their bodies move in space. Whether the movements are simple stretches or imaginative twists, the experience encourages students to stay present and engaged while having fun.
As students take turns being both the leader and the shadow, they practise focus, mimicry, and self-expression. Leaders get to be creative and expressive, experimenting with different kinds of movements, while shadows build concentration and responsiveness. The rotation ensures everyone experiences both roles, fostering confidence, engagement, and teamwork. Shadow Movement is a simple yet powerful way to energise a class, promote mindful movement, and build a sense of shared play and connection.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity supports students to:
- Tune into how their bodies feel when moving, stretching, balancing, or coordinating with others.
- Build self-awareness by noticing their own focus, frustration, calmness, or confidence during the task.
- Strengthen mind–body connection, helping them understand how movement affects emotions and attention.
Personal Strengths & Identity
Students practise:
- Noticing their own strengths in creativity, flexibility, coordination, or leadership.
- Developing confidence by taking turns as the leader and expressing movement in their own unique style.
- Recognising individuality, each student brings a different flavour of movement, fostering pride in personal expression.
Positive Coping & Self-Regulation
This activity encourages students to:
- Use movement as a calming, regulating tool (slow, controlled motions help settle the mind and body).
- Practise sustained concentration and patience while mirroring precise movements.
- Build resilience by attempting challenging motions and staying engaged even when mimicry feels difficult.
Empathy, Inclusiveness & Social Awareness
Students learn to:
- Observe others closely and respectfully, developing attunement to others’ actions, a foundation of empathy.
- Appreciate the skills, creativity, and differences in how classmates move or express themselves.
- Include peers by supporting and encouraging them, especially when movements become tricky or complex.
Communication & Relationships
Students develop:
- Non-verbal communication skills through mirroring, body language, and synchronised movement.
- Trust and collaboration between leader and shadow, strengthening positive peer interactions.
- A sense of unity and connectedness as the whole group moves together in rhythm, creating shared fun and flow.
I Am Respectful Pledge
I Am Respectful Pledge gives students a meaningful way to reflect on how their words and actions affect the people around them. Through creating their own personalised pledge, students take time to consider what respect actually looks like, how it feels, how it sounds, and how it shows up in everyday interactions. As they write about respecting others’ feelings, personal space, and opinions, they begin to understand that respect is something we choose to practise, not just something we talk about. The creative process adds a sense of ownership, allowing each student to make their pledge personal and purposeful.
Once the pledges are signed and displayed, the classroom becomes filled with daily reminders of the values everyone has committed to. Students start to see themselves as contributors to a respectful, supportive community, and the shared class motto reinforces this collective commitment. The activity opens the door for thoughtful conversations about how we like to be treated and how we can show up respectfully for others. I Am Respectful Pledge is a simple but powerful way to build a classroom culture grounded in care, understanding, and mutual respect.
Respectful Relationships
Emotional Literacy & Self-Awareness
This activity supports students to:
- Reflect on their own behaviour, emotional impact, and the way they treat others.
- Recognise how respect influences how safe, valued, and understood people feel.
- Understand what they personally need in order to feel respected, building emotional insight and self-awareness.
Personal Strengths & Identity
Students practise:
- Identifying the kind of person they want to be, someone who is respectful, kind, and thoughtful.
- Recognising their strengths in empathy, fairness, and responsibility.
- Building confidence by creating a pledge that reflects their personal values and how they want to show up in the world.
Positive Coping & Self-Regulation
This activity encourages students to:
- Think ahead about respectful choices they can make during moments of frustration, disagreement, or challenge.
- Strengthen self-control by committing to behaviours that prevent conflict and support calm interactions.
- Use their pledge as an anchor or reminder when emotions run high or when they need to reset their behaviour.
Empathy, Inclusiveness & Social Awareness
Students learn to:
- Consider how others feel when they are spoken to kindly, given space, or listened to with patience.
- Recognise and appreciate different perspectives, preferences, and boundaries.
- Contribute to a classroom culture where everyone feels safe, valued, and included through mutual respect.
Communication & Relationships
Students develop:
- Skills for expressing respectful behaviour, listening, using kind words, acknowledging differences, and agreeing to shared expectations.
- Awareness of how respectful communication builds trust and strengthens friendships.
- A shared class commitment through the pledge wall and class motto, reinforcing collective responsibility for positive relationships.
.avif)
