The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 3 & 4
Week Twenty Six celebrates the life skill of gratitude, inspired by Saturn and its shimmering rings, which remind us that thankfulness radiates outward and brings people closer together. Across this week, students explore gratitude through joyful play, creative expression, and mindful movement. From sharing thankful thoughts in Gratitude Balloon Toss to reflecting on meaningful moments in My Thankful Hand, children learn that appreciation can be spoken, drawn, felt, and shared. Each activity invites students to pause, notice the good around them, and experience the warm connection that comes with acknowledging the people, places, and things that make life special.
This week also nurtures calmness, kindness, and emotional awareness. Stretch and Say Thanks blends gentle physical movement with reflective gratitude, helping students connect their bodies with positive thoughts. Thank You Space Power Cubes allow students to turn gratitude into action by creating thoughtful tokens for someone they appreciate. Together, these experiences build confidence, strengthen relationships, and remind students that gratitude is more than a feeling, it’s something we can practise and express every day. Like Saturn’s rings, gratitude circles outwards, creating harmony, connection, and joy throughout the classroom community.
Weekly Lessons
Gratitude Balloon Toss
Gratitude Balloon Toss invites students to playfully explore what they are thankful for while working together to keep a balloon floating through the air. Each time a child taps the balloon, they name something that brings them joy, a person, a moment, a favourite place, or something simple that made them smile that day. This light and energetic activity helps students understand gratitude as an active, shared experience rather than something silent or private. As the balloon moves around the group, appreciation spreads from one student to another, creating a lively circle of connection and positive emotion.
Hearing classmates share their thankful thoughts builds empathy and encourages students to notice the good in their own lives and in the lives of others. Whether played with one balloon or several, the game quickly fills the room with laughter, teamwork, and uplifting words. A reflection at the end helps students recognise how gratitude can ripple outward, just like Saturn’s beautiful rings, bringing people closer and brightening the whole space. Gratitude Balloon Toss leaves students energised, connected, and more aware of the many things that make their world wonderful.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Gratitude Balloon Toss supports students to:
- Share something they are grateful for, helping others understand what matters to them and why.
- Listen respectfully to classmates as they express their own moments of gratitude.
- Recognise and appreciate the feelings and experiences of others, building empathy through shared thankfulness.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Gratitude Balloon Toss helps students to:
- Work together to keep the balloon in the air, taking turns and playing cooperatively.
- Practise positive communication by speaking clearly, encouraging others, and responding kindly.
- Strengthen social bonds by participating in a joyful group activity centred around gratitude and teamwork.
Safety and Acceptance
Gratitude Balloon Toss encourages students to:
- Feel safe sharing what they are thankful for in a supportive, playful environment.
- Understand that everyone’s gratitude is unique and valuable, increasing acceptance of different experiences and perspectives.
- Build a sense of belonging as the class creates a shared circle of appreciation, mirroring Saturn’s rings of connection.
My Thankful Hand
My Thankful Hand invites students to pause and appreciate the meaningful parts of their lives by turning their traced handprint into a colourful display of gratitude. Each finger becomes a space to draw or write something they are thankful for, family, friends, pets, favourite places, special moments, or anything that brings joy to their day. This process encourages children to slow down, reflect, and recognise the many small but important things that make their lives brighter. As they decorate their handprints with colours and symbols, students connect creativity with emotional awareness, transforming simple lines on paper into a powerful gratitude reminder.
Sharing their Thankful Hands with classmates helps students build confidence while deepening connections across the group. Hearing what others appreciate broadens their perspective and reinforces that gratitude can be found in many different places. This activity beautifully reflects Saturn’s lesson in The Playful Astronauts journey: that many small pieces, like fingers or rings, can come together to create something strong and meaningful. My Thankful Hand leaves students feeling grounded, joyful, and more aware of the good that surrounds them every day.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
My Thankful Hand supports students to:
- Express what they are grateful for, helping others understand what is important to them.
- Listen respectfully as classmates share their thankful thoughts, building empathy and emotional awareness.
- Recognise that everyone values different things, fostering acceptance and understanding within the group.
Cooperation and Social Skills
My Thankful Hand helps students to:
- Participate in a shared creative activity that encourages calm, reflective engagement.
- Practise taking turns and sharing their ideas with peers in a safe and positive way.
- Build social confidence by contributing to group discussions about gratitude and what brings joy.
Safety and Acceptance
My Thankful Hand encourages students to:
- Feel safe expressing personal thoughts and feelings in a supportive classroom environment.
- Understand that their unique experiences and gratitude are valued by others.
- Strengthen their sense of belonging as each student contributes something meaningful, creating a collective display of thankfulness, much like Saturn’s rings coming together in harmony.
Stretch and Say Thanks
Stretch and Say Thanks blends gentle movement with heartfelt reflection, giving students a peaceful way to connect their bodies and emotions. As they reach tall, bend softly, flap butterfly wings, or wrap themselves in a warm self-hug, students practise moving with calm control while naming things they feel thankful for. This simple pairing of stretching and gratitude helps them slow down, breathe, and recognise the good things in their lives, from loved ones and favourite foods to special moments and friendships. Each stretch becomes a quiet celebration of something meaningful, nurturing both flexibility and emotional awareness.
Sharing gratitude aloud while moving together creates a soothing sense of unity in the group. Students hear what others appreciate, broadening their own sense of thankfulness and strengthening social bonds. The activity ends with a peaceful breath and a moment to reflect on how their bodies and hearts feel after practising mindful gratitude. Inspired by Saturn’s lessons of balance, calmness, and reflection, Stretch and Say Thanks leaves students feeling grounded, relaxed, and more connected to the positives that surround them every day.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Stretch and Say Thanks supports students to:
- Express gratitude using simple, kind words that help others understand what matters to them.
- Listen respectfully as classmates share what they are thankful for, building empathy and awareness of others' experiences.
- Recognise and appreciate the diverse things their peers feel grateful for, fostering emotional understanding and acceptance.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Stretch and Say Thanks helps students to:
- Participate safely and calmly in a shared movement activity that encourages group connection.
- Take turns expressing thankfulness while stretching, supporting respectful communication and confident speaking.
- Build positive social interactions by sharing gentle movement, gratitude, and encouragement in a collective, joyful atmosphere.
Safety and Acceptance
Stretch and Say Thanks encourages students to:
- Feel comfortable expressing gratitude in a safe, calming environment where all ideas are valued.
- Understand that gratitude looks and sounds different for everyone, and that each person’s thankful thoughts deserve respect.
- Develop a sense of belonging as the class moves, breathes, and reflects together, just like Saturn’s rings working in peaceful harmony.
Thank You Space Power Cubes
Thank You Space Power Cubes give students a creative and meaningful way to express appreciation for someone who makes their school day brighter. By decorating each side of a small paper cube with pictures, colours, and simple thank-you messages, children reflect on the people who help them feel safe, happy, and supported, friends who play kindly, teachers who encourage them, or classmates who share and include them. As they design their cube, students think deeply about why they are thankful, turning their appreciation into a tangible gift filled with care and creativity. This hands-on activity helps them understand that gratitude grows stronger when it is expressed and shared.
Giving the finished cube becomes a powerful moment of connection. Whether delivered with a smile, a quiet “thank you,” or left as a surprise gift on someone’s desk, each Space Power Cube carries kindness outward, just like the gentle rings of Saturn surrounding and supporting the planet. When students share their creations, they learn that even small acts of giving can brighten someone else’s day and strengthen relationships across the classroom. Thank You Space Power Cubes leave students feeling proud, generous, and connected, with a deeper understanding that gratitude is a gift we can all give.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Thank You Space Power Cubes supports students to:
- Reflect on the people at school who help them feel safe, happy, or supported, building emotional awareness and gratitude.
- Express appreciation through simple, thoughtful words when they give their Space Power Cube.
- Understand how their kind actions can make others feel valued, strengthening empathy and positive communication.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Thank You Space Power Cubes helps students to:
- Participate in a shared creative activity that encourages generosity and kindness toward others.
- Practise giving a small gift respectfully, using kind words, eye contact, and friendly gestures.
- Strengthen relationships by acknowledging classmates, teachers, or helpers who make their school experience better.
Safety and Acceptance
Thank You Space Power Cubes encourages students to:
- Feel safe expressing gratitude in their own way, whether through words, drawings, or simply giving the cube with a smile.
- Appreciate that everyone values different kinds of help and kindness, promoting respect for diverse experiences.
- Contribute to a classroom culture where kindness is noticed, celebrated, and shared, just like Saturn’s rings surrounding and supporting the planet.
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