The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 3 & 4
This week's activities give students a vibrant blend of fitness, reflection, teamwork, and emotional growth. Through energetic games and structured challenges, learners strengthen their physical coordination while building deeper social connections. Activities like Fitness Friends Everywhere help students bond through movement and name-recall games, while Large Group Poker adds teamwork, communication, and fast-paced fitness to keep the energy high. Each activity is designed to help students feel connected, confident, and engaged with the group, creating a positive environment where everyone feels included and supported.
At the same time, students build self-awareness and emotional resilience through meaningful reflection and positive self-talk. Positive Self-Talk encourages learners to recognise their strengths and reshape challenges with affirming language that boosts confidence and motivation. Connect Four Reflection deepens empathy and active listening as students share personal stories and reflections with their peers. Together, the week's activities strengthen both the body and the mind, promoting confidence, empathy, gratitude, and strong social bonds that students can carry into all aspects of school and life.
Weekly Lessons
Fitness Friends Everywhere
Fitness Friends Everywhere is a high-energy icebreaker designed to help students learn names, build confidence, and form instant social connections, all while getting their bodies moving. Through fun partner-based exercises like squat jumps, push-ups, sit-ups, star jumps, and creative movements, students meet new classmates and practise remembering names in an engaging, energetic way. The game's structure encourages students to step outside their friendship circles, interact with a wide range of peers, and stay active throughout the session, fostering a lively and inclusive environment.
The game also strengthens teamwork, communication, and physical coordination as students work with a new partner every round. Each movement, paired with saying their partner’s name, boosts memory retention while keeping the experience playful and social. By the end of the activity, students have connected with multiple classmates, improved their fitness, and contributed to a warm, positive atmosphere where everyone feels seen, supported, and energised. Fitness Friends Everywhere is the perfect warm-up for building community and kicking off a session with fun, laughter, and movement.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Fitness Friends Everywhere supports students to:
- Practise active listening as they learn and remember classmates’ names, listen to instructions, and focus on their partner’s cues during each exercise.
- Express themselves respectfully by introducing themselves politely, using each other’s names during movements, and encouraging peers during the fitness challenges.
- Understand different viewpoints by recognising that each partner may have different comfort levels with physical activities and being empathetic toward varying strengths or abilities.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The activity helps students to:
- Work as a team by performing paired exercises that require cooperation, timing, and shared effort (high fives, squat jumps, sit-up connections, push-up synchronisation).
- Show fairness and kindness by partnering with new classmates, including those outside their friendship circles, and treating everyone with respect and enthusiasm.
- Show appreciation by acknowledging partners’ efforts, celebrating successful movements, and valuing the creativity shown during the “special movement” round.
Safety and Acceptance
Fitness Friends Everywhere encourages students to:
- Help others feel safe by maintaining personal space, using safe exercise form, and supporting classmates who need modifications or slower pacing.
- Accept others by understanding that everyone has different physical abilities and stamina levels, and all participation, modified or full, is equally valued.
- Promote equality as every student participates, interacts with multiple partners, and contributes equally to the shared experience regardless of fitness level or social confidence.
Positive Self-Talk
Positive Self-Talk is a reflective and empowering activity designed to help students understand the impact their inner voice has on their emotions, confidence, and resilience. Through meaningful yet straightforward prompts, students explore the power of positive language, learning how affirmations can shift their mindset, uplift their mood, and help them feel more capable when challenges arise. By identifying three encouraging statements they can say to themselves, students build a personal toolkit of confidence-boosting phrases that support their emotional well-being.
This activity also encourages students to think about when and how to use positive self-talk in their daily lives, whether before a test, during a tricky task, or when they need a moment of calm. By reflecting on how these affirmations make them feel, students deepen their emotional awareness and begin forming healthy habits that strengthen self-esteem. Positive Self-Talk provides a foundation for optimism, helping students recognise their strengths, face difficulties with courage, and speak to themselves with kindness and belief.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Positive Self-Talk supports students to:
- Practise active listening when reflecting quietly, listening to their internal voice, and hearing how positive words influence their emotions.
- Express themselves respectfully by writing affirmations that reflect their feelings, strengths, and needs in a calm and constructive way.
- Understand different viewpoints when sharing affirmations with peers, recognising that everyone needs different words, reminders, and support to feel confident.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The activity helps students to:
- Work collaboratively when sharing affirmations in pairs or groups, offering encouragement and learning from each other’s positive language.
- Show fairness and kindness by supporting classmates’ reflections without judgment and responding kindly when others share vulnerable thoughts.
- Show appreciation by acknowledging powerful affirmations written by classmates and recognising strengths students see in themselves and others.
Safety and Acceptance
Positive Self-Talk encourages students to:
- Help others feel safe by creating a reflective, quiet environment where personal thoughts are respected and students feel comfortable expressing themselves.
- Accept others by recognising that everyone experiences self-doubt and that each person’s positive words or challenges are valid and important.
- Promote equality as every student has an equal opportunity to write affirmations, share if they choose, and build confidence at their own pace, regardless of ability or personality.
Large Group Poker
Large Group Poker is a high-energy, movement-based game that mixes strategy, teamwork, and physical fitness into one exciting activity. Students move around the space in fun, playful ways while holding their assigned card, searching for others who can help them build the poker hand called out by the instructor. Whether they’re forming a pair, a straight, a flush, or a full house, players must communicate clearly, think strategically, and work together quickly before time runs out. The game keeps students mentally sharp as they recall the different poker hands and physically engaged through constant movement.
If students are unable to form the required hand in time, they complete a short fitness challenge, adding an extra layer of energy, motivation, and fun. With each round, players meet new people, collaborate in different groups, and practise both memory and social connection. Large Group Poker is dynamic, inclusive, and endlessly adaptable, making it an ideal choice for big classrooms, team-building days, or energising group sessions. It encourages teamwork, boosts fitness, and creates a lively atmosphere full of laughter, movement, and cooperative play.
Download the list of poker hands HERE.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Large Group Poker supports students to:
- Practise active listening as they hear instructions, respond to the poker hand called out, and listen to peers while forming groups.
- Express themselves respectfully by communicating clearly with classmates while forming hands, negotiating group roles, and asking for help appropriately.
- Understand different viewpoints as they recognise that classmates may process information differently, remember poker hands at different speeds, or need support when forming groups.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The activity helps students to:
- Work as a team by forming hands collaboratively, sharing ideas, organising groups quickly, and cooperating under time pressure.
- Show fairness and kindness by including all students, helping peers who are unsure of poker hands, and showing sportsmanship during fitness challenges.
- Show appreciation through acknowledging classmates who helped form the hand, celebrating group success, and recognising effort over correctness.
Safety and Acceptance
Large Group Poker encourages students to:
- Help others feel safe by moving safely in shared space, respecting others’ personal boundaries, and supporting peers during fitness activities.
- Accept others by welcoming classmates of different abilities, including those who may struggle with strategy, memory, or fitness tasks.
- Promote equality as every student participates equally, each card holds value, each student has an essential role, and fitness challenges are accessible to all.
Connect Four Reflection
Connect Four Reflection is a thoughtful and engaging partner game that blends fun, strategy, and meaningful conversation. Using a Connect Four–style grid, students take turns choosing a spot on the board, colouring in their marker, and rolling a dice to reveal a reflection question linked to their chosen space. Each question encourages students to think deeply about their emotions, achievements, challenges, and positive moments, helping them build self-awareness in a playful and low-pressure way. The mix of choice, chance, and storytelling helps students feel safe to share, creating a warm and enjoyable experience.
The game also strengthens social connectedness and emotional intelligence as players listen, respond, and support each other’s reflections. As students answer prompts and work toward getting four in a row, they practice empathy, active listening, and respectful communication. Connect Four Reflection is a powerful way to end a lesson, spark conversation, or build connection between peers, promoting understanding, trust, and personal growth in a simple, engaging format.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Connect Four Reflection supports students to:
- Practise active listening by giving their full attention as their partner shares personal reflections, responding with respect, interest, and care.
- Express themselves respectfully through sharing their reflections honestly and calmly, using the guiding questions to communicate feelings, achievements, and challenges.
- Understand different viewpoints as students listen to experiences that may differ from their own, helping them develop empathy and appreciate diverse perspectives.
Cooperation and Social Skills
The activity helps students to:
- Work collaboratively by playing the game in a fair, respectful way, taking turns, and following the structure together.
- Show fairness and kindness by being patient, celebrating others' reflections, and supporting their partner regardless of who wins the game.
- Show appreciation through acknowledging meaningful answers, connecting over shared experiences, and valuing their partner’s openness.
Safety and Acceptance
Connect Four Reflection encourages students to:
- Help others feel safe by maintaining a supportive environment where sharing personal feelings is welcomed and respected.
- Accept others by understanding that everyone experiences emotions, challenges, and wins differently, there is no “right” or “wrong” answer in reflection.
- Promote equality as both players contribute equally, take turns, share their perspectives, and participate in a balanced, respectful conversation.
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