The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 3 & 4
Week Twenty Four invites students to celebrate the joyful life skill of play, drawing inspiration from Mars's adventurous spirit. Through a range of imaginative, energetic, and creative activities, students are encouraged to explore movement, express ideas freely, and connect with their peers. Space Explorer Obstacle Course transforms physical activity into a playful Mars mission, while Draw Your Imagination gives students complete freedom to create without rules. Each activity supports the idea that creativity, curiosity, and fun are essential ingredients for learning, confidence, and self-expression.
This week also strengthens social connection and emotional well-being through shared play, gratitude, and positive interaction. Planet Bop blends physical energy with listening and focus, creating a lively group experience full of laughter and movement. Play Pal Pass deepens friendships and promotes kindness, giving students opportunities to acknowledge what they appreciate in one another. Together, these activities highlight that play is powerful, building confidence, strengthening relationships, and reminding students that joyful moments not only enrich learning but help them feel connected, included, and ready to embrace new adventures.
Weekly Lessons
Space Explorer Obstacle Course
Space Explorer Obstacle Course launches students straight into a high-energy Mars adventure where movement and imagination work hand in hand. As they jump over “lava cracks,” crawl through “Mars caves,” balance across rocky ridges, and zip past swirling space dust, students use their bodies in playful, expressive ways that build confidence and coordination. Pretending to be astronauts on the Red Planet encourages storytelling, creativity, and a sense of adventure, turning every movement into part of a bigger mission. The activity celebrates the joy of play, helping students feel brave, energetic, and excited to explore.
The shared experience of cheering each other on and taking turns strengthens social bonds and encourages teamwork. Students discover that playing together, imagining, laughing, and moving, brings the whole group closer. After completing the course, reflecting on their favourite Mars moments helps them recognise how powerful imagination can be in making movement fun and meaningful. Linked to the Playful Astronauts’ lessons from Mars, this activity reminds students that play isn’t just enjoyable, it’s an important way to learn, connect, and express themselves. Space Explorer Obstacle Course leaves students glowing with energy, creativity, and the thrill of exploration.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Space Explorer Obstacle Course supports students to:
- Use imaginative play to express ideas and emotions as they pretend to be astronauts exploring Mars.
- Celebrate others’ efforts by cheering, encouraging, and acknowledging classmates as they take on each part of the course.
- Build empathy by recognising that everyone moves differently and imagining what their peers might be feeling during the adventure.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Space Explorer Obstacle Course helps students to:
- Take turns safely and respectfully, supporting fair play and shared enjoyment in a group setting.
- Work together by waiting patiently, offering encouragement, and helping classmates navigate tricky parts of the course.
- Strengthen social connections through shared imaginative play, building a sense of adventure and teamwork.
Safety and Acceptance
Space Explorer Obstacle Course encourages students to:
- Move safely through obstacles while respecting personal space and classroom expectations.
- Feel accepted and confident as they express themselves through imaginative movement, knowing there is no “right” way to pretend.
- Embrace differences in play styles and abilities, recognising that every explorer contributes uniquely to the Mars mission.
Draw Your Imagination
Draw Your Imagination opens the door to pure, open-ended creativity, giving students the freedom to bring anything in their minds to life on the page. With no rules or specific instructions, children are encouraged to explore whatever ideas, stories, or characters appear in their imagination, magical creatures, faraway planets, colourful machines, or playful moments from their dreams. This kind of uninhibited art-making celebrates autonomy and helps students develop confidence in their creative choices. As they draw, paint, or collage, they learn that play isn’t just something they do with their bodies, it’s also something they can express through colours, shapes, and ideas.
Sharing their creations, whether by describing them or simply holding them up proudly, builds connection and encourages students to appreciate the unique perspectives of others. The activity beautifully reflects the spirit of Mars in The Playful Astronauts journey, where boldness, energy, and imagination are at the heart of exploration. Draw Your Imagination reminds students that creativity flourishes when they’re given space to dream freely. The result is a joyful art experience that leaves the room buzzing with wonder, originality, and the magic of playful expression.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Draw Your Imagination supports students to:
- Share the stories behind their artwork, helping others understand their ideas, feelings, and creativity.
- Listen respectfully as classmates describe their imagined worlds, characters, or creations.
- Appreciate that everyone’s imagination is unique, building empathy for different perspectives and creative expressions.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Draw Your Imagination helps students to:
- Participate positively in group sharing time, celebrating and encouraging each other’s ideas.
- Build confidence through optional sharing, learning to communicate thoughts in a safe and supportive environment.
- Strengthen social connections through play-based art discussions, noticing similarities and differences in each other’s creativity.
Safety and Acceptance
Draw Your Imagination encourages students to:
- Feel safe expressing themselves through open-ended art where there are no right or wrong answers.
- Accept and value the diverse ideas, colours, and stories classmates choose to express in their artwork.
- Build a sense of belonging by contributing their imaginative creations to the collective classroom experience, reinforcing that everyone’s ideas matter.
Planet Bop
Planet Bop turns the solar system into a playful dance floor where students listen carefully, move creatively, and explore each planet through fun physical actions. As music plays, children jump like they’re on Mars, spin slowly like Earth, blow kisses for Venus, stretch tall for Jupiter, and curl up tiny for Pluto. Each planet becomes a cue for a new movement, helping students build coordination, memory, and active listening skills while feeling free to play with energy and imagination. The game celebrates the spirit of adventure, inviting students to picture themselves zooming through space and responding quickly to each new planetary challenge.
Sharing the experience with the whole group creates laughter, excitement, and a sense of connection as students move, respond, and freeze together. When the music stops and everyone becomes a “space statue,” the room fills with giggles and anticipation for the next round. Reflecting afterwards helps students recognise how movement and imagination work hand in hand to make learning joyful. Inspired by the playful boldness of Mars, Planet Bop reminds students that play is powerful, it sparks creativity, boosts happiness, and brings people together. The activity leaves everyone energised, smiling, and ready for more cosmic fun.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Planet Bop supports students to:
- Listen carefully to the teacher’s voice and the planet cues, strengthening understanding and focus during group play.
- Recognise and respond to others’ excitement, energy, and movements, building awareness of peers and their emotional expression.
- Appreciate that everyone learns and remembers actions differently, developing empathy and patience as classmates try their best.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Planet Bop helps students to:
- Work together in a shared space, moving safely and respectfully alongside classmates.
- Celebrate each other’s creativity, especially when students invent new actions or lead the group as “Mission Commander.”
- Enjoy collective play, strengthening friendships through laughter, rhythm, and shared movement challenges.
Safety and Acceptance
Planet Bop encourages students to:
- Move safely by keeping personal space, listening for cues, and controlling their bodies during energetic actions.
- Accept that everyone moves at their own pace and ability, promoting a supportive, inclusive play environment.
- Build a sense of belonging by participating in a whole-class activity where every student contributes to the fun, energy, and imagination of the game.
Play Pal Pass
Play Pal Pass gives students a joyful opportunity to appreciate the friends they play with every day. By pairing up and sharing something they enjoy about playing together, whether it’s building, running, laughing, or simply taking turns, students learn to express gratitude in a simple, meaningful way. The activity encourages them to notice the small moments that make play feel fun and special, building emotional awareness and strengthening social bonds. Even students who feel shy can join in by drawing their ideas or offering a gentle thank you, making the experience inclusive and confidence-building for everyone.
As students rotate through new partners, the room fills with kind words, smiles, and shared memories of play. These exchanges help children understand not just what they enjoy, but why friendships matter and how appreciation makes relationships grow. Gathering together at the end to reflect on how it felt to hear something kind reinforces the power of gratitude. Inspired by the adventurous, social energy of Mars, Play Pal Pass reminds students that play is at its best when it connects people. The activity leaves the class feeling valued, supported, and full of warm, playful energy.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Play Pal Pass supports students to:
- Share kind words about their play buddy, helping them express appreciation and recognise positive qualities in others.
- Listen with care when their partner shares something kind, strengthening empathy and emotional awareness.
- Understand what others enjoy during play, helping them build deeper, more meaningful friendships.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Play Pal Pass helps students to:
- Work cooperatively in pairs, taking turns to speak and listen respectfully.
- Build friendships by engaging in repeated partner interactions, meeting new peers and strengthening class cohesion.
- Practise gratitude in social settings, reinforcing positive behaviour and connection during play.
Safety and Acceptance
Play Pal Pass encourages students to:
- Feel safe expressing themselves, knowing that all compliments and reflections are kind and supportive.
- Accept and celebrate differences in how each person enjoys play, recognising that everyone brings something special to their interactions.
- Contribute to a classroom culture where kindness, appreciation, and inclusive play are valued and openly shared.
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