The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 3 & 4
This week's activities offer students a powerful blend of physical fitness, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. Through engaging challenges like Card Golf, Full Deck Flip, and the Positivity Quest, students practise prediction, problem-solving, movement, and coordination in a fun and energetic way. They learn to stay focused under pressure, pace themselves, and tackle both physical and mental challenges with determination. These experiences promote resilience, boost physical endurance, and allow students to apply positive self-talk while navigating fast-paced, unpredictable games.
Alongside the movement-based tasks, students explore empathy, kindness, and emotional awareness through reflective moments and meaningful conversations. In Empathy in Action and the teamwork-based escape room, they practise recognising emotions, offering support to others, and working collaboratively to achieve shared goals. By the end of the week, students have strengthened both their bodies and their emotional toolkit, learning that empathy deepens friendships, that positive thinking helps overcome challenges, and that teamwork makes even the hardest tasks achievable. This week reinforces that physical growth and emotional growth flourish best when students connect, reflect, and support one another.
Weekly Lessons
Card Golf
Card Golf is a fast-paced and energising blend of strategy, probability, and physical movement. Students make predictions about card values, calculate their scores based on accuracy, and complete exercises that match their score for each “hole.” With every turn feeling like a new challenge, the game keeps students mentally switched on and physically active, combining maths, movement, and fun in one simple structure. Whether guessing high or low or choosing exact card values, students stay fully engaged as they try to minimise their score, just like in real golf.
What makes Card Golf especially enjoyable is its flexibility and social nature. Students can play individually, in pairs, or in small groups, encouraging teamwork, encouragement, and shared strategy. Each incorrect guess brings a quick burst of fitness, helping students stay active while having fun. The game promotes resilience, critical thinking, and physical well-being, and can be adapted easily for different ages or settings. It’s a lively, competitive, and motivating activity that gets students thinking, moving, and laughing all at once.
Download the exercise list and golf score card HERE.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Card Golf supports students to:
- Practise active listening by paying close attention to instructions, score explanations, and exercise cues, as well as listening to teammates during group play.
- Express themselves respectfully when discussing guesses, sharing strategies, or asking peers for help calculating or understanding scores.
- Understand different viewpoints as students recognise that peers have different strategies, prediction styles, and comfort levels with maths or physical activity.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The activity helps students to:
- Work collaboratively when played in pairs or groups, supporting each other with scoring, flipping cards, and completing exercises as a team.
- Show fairness and kindness by encouraging teammates, celebrating small wins, and helping classmates who may struggle with the maths or exercises.
- Show appreciation by acknowledging peers’ strategic thinking, effort during exercises, and improvements over each hole.
Safety and Acceptance
Card Golf encourages students to:
- Help others feel safe by creating a respectful environment where mistakes in predictions or maths are treated as learning opportunities, and physical exercises are completed safely.
- Accept others by recognising that everyone has different strengths, some excel in maths, others in fitness, others in strategy, and all contributions are valued.
- Promote equality by ensuring all students participate equally, regardless of ability level, with optional modifications for exercises so every student can succeed and enjoy the game.
Empathy in Action
Empathy in Action is a gentle, reflective activity that guides students to think deeply about how others feel and how their actions can make a difference. By recalling real-life moments when someone was sad or upset, students explore others' emotions and consider the impact of kindness, listening, and support. This allows them to step into another person’s shoes, building emotional awareness and strengthening their capacity to recognise when someone may need help.
After reflecting on past experiences, students think about practical ways they can show empathy in their everyday lives, at school, at home, or during play. The activity encourages thoughtful writing, meaningful discussion, and honest reflection, creating a calm and supportive environment. Empathy in Action helps students develop compassion, emotional intelligence, and a deeper understanding of how small acts of kindness can significantly improve someone’s day and contribute to a more caring community.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Empathy in Action supports students to:
- Practise active listening by reflecting on situations where they paid attention to someone’s feelings, body language, or words.
- Express themselves respectfully when writing or sharing about sensitive situations, using caring and thoughtful language.
- Understand different viewpoints by considering how others felt in real-life scenarios and recognising that people experience emotions differently.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The activity helps students to:
- Work collaboratively when sharing empathy stories or reflections with partners or small groups, building trust and connection.
- Show fairness and kindness by offering supportive comments, listening without judgment, and valuing others’ experiences.
- Show appreciation through acknowledging the empathy shown by classmates and recognising the positive impact of kindness on others.
Safety and Acceptance
Empathy in Action encourages students to:
- Help others feel safe by creating a reflective environment where sharing personal experiences feels respected and supported.
- Accept others by understanding that everyone faces challenging emotions and that showing empathy is an important part of positive relationships.
- Promote equality as every student’s story and reflections are valued equally, reinforcing that all experiences and emotions deserve care, respect, and understanding.
Full Deck Flip
Full Deck Flip is a fast, energetic fitness challenge that turns an ordinary deck of cards into an unpredictable workout. Each suit represents a different exercise, and players flip through the deck completing movements like squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and star jumps as quickly as they can. The randomness of the card order keeps the workout exciting and varied, encouraging students to stay focused, move with purpose, and push themselves physically. Whether played individually or in groups, the game builds strength, endurance, and resilience through quick bursts of movement.
The challenge element of racing the deck adds motivation and fun, while promoting pacing, time management, and teamwork. Players can work to beat their own personal best, compete with others, or collaborate as a team to finish the deck together. Full Deck Flip is simple to set up, highly adaptable for different ages and fitness levels, and creates an uplifting environment where students cheer each other on. It’s a powerful way to make physical activity enjoyable, engaging, and accessible to all.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Full Deck Flip supports students to:
- Practise active listening by paying attention to instructions, the exercise–suit combinations, and any cues from peers or the teacher.
- Express themselves respectfully by encouraging classmates, checking in on partners, and communicating when they need a break or modification.
- Understand different viewpoints by recognising that peers have different fitness levels, pacing styles, and comfort with certain movements.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The activity helps students to:
- Work collaboratively when completing the deck in teams, dividing exercises fairly, and supporting one another through a shared challenge.
- Show fairness and kindness by helping peers who struggle with certain exercises, celebrating effort, and maintaining a positive workout environment.
- Show appreciation by acknowledging teammates’ perseverance, cheering each other on, and recognising improvements or personal bests.
Safety and Acceptance
Full Deck Flip encourages students to:
- Help others feel safe through positive encouragement, safe use of space, and reminding peers to use correct form to prevent injury.
- Accept others by understanding that everyone has different strengths, some can do many push-ups, others may find star jumps easier, and that modifications are welcome.
- Promote equality as every participant has an equal role, with exercise intensity adjustable for all fitness levels, ensuring inclusive participation.
Escape Room - Positivity Quest
Escape Room – Positivity Quest is an uplifting, adventure-style wellbeing challenge where students journey through four themed stations, Courage, Connection, Kindness, and Resilience, to unlock puzzle pieces and escape the “Realm of Positivity.” Each station invites students to step outside their comfort zone, engage in creative or physical challenges, and share reflections with their team. From fear-busting tasks and trust walks to writing gratitude notes and completing resilience relays, students work together to solve problems, express strengths, and celebrate positivity. The game blends movement, teamwork, reflection, and emotional learning into a fun, high-energy experience.
As teams collect their puzzle pieces and assemble the final code, they learn the power of courage, collaboration, and kindness in overcoming challenges. The activity reinforces key wellbeing skills, encouragement, empathy, confidence, and perseverance, while fostering a safe, supportive, and joyful group atmosphere. Escape Room – Positivity Quest leaves students feeling connected, empowered, and proud of the strengths they bring to their classroom community.
Download the full resource HERE.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Escape Room – Positivity Quest supports students to:
- Practise active listening as they follow station instructions, decode clues, and listen to teammates during challenges like Trust Walk and Kindness Lagoon.
- Express needs and feelings respectfully by sharing strengths, discussing goals, and communicating clearly during group problem-solving tasks.
- Understand different viewpoints by recognising how teammates feel during courage challenges, blindfolded activities, kindness tasks, and resilience exercises.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The game helps students to:
- Work as a team to complete multi-step challenges, rely on each other’s strengths, and collaborate to solve the final puzzle.
- Show fairness and kindness by cheering teammates during courage tasks, guiding peers safely in the obstacle course, and spreading kindness in Station 3.
- Show appreciation by writing positive notes, acknowledging others’ efforts, and celebrating successes together.
Safety and Acceptance
Escape Room – Positivity Quest encourages students to:
- Help everyone feel safe and supported through empathy, encouragement, and respectful communication during emotionally or physically challenging activities.
- Accept others as they are, recognising that every student brings unique strengths, talents, and ways of showing courage or resilience.
- Promote equality by ensuring all team members participate, contribute puzzle pieces, and have an equal role in completing the quest.
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