The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 5 & 6
Week Eighteen brings together creativity, empathy, teamwork, and physical fitness through a series of fun, interactive activities. The session begins with Evolution, a playful twist on rock-paper-scissors that gets students laughing, moving, and engaging with classmates as they “evolve” through silly stages. The energy continues with Running Dice, a fast-paced fitness race where students challenge their endurance, support their teammates, and stay motivated through increasing exercise rounds. These activities help build connection, resilience, and a fun team spirit while boosting fitness and coordination.
This week also deepens students’ emotional awareness and strengthens relationships through reflection and kindness. The Compliment Game encourages students to express gratitude and share meaningful affirmations with their peers, creating a warm and supportive classroom atmosphere. The session finishes with the Empathy Walk, where students explore real-life scenarios, practise emotional understanding, and discuss ways to support others through challenges. Together, these activities help students develop empathy, celebrate each other, and continue building a caring and connected community.
Courses
Evolution
Evolution is a high-energy, playful twist on rock-paper-scissors where players “evolve” through a series of funny stages, from egg to chicken to monster and finally human. To level up, players must find others at the same stage and win a round of rock-paper-scissors. Along the way, each stage comes with its own hilarious sound or movement, filling the room with laughter, creativity, and joyful chaos.
The game is perfect for building connection, boosting confidence, and getting students moving. As everyone interacts, celebrates wins, and cheers each other on, the atmosphere becomes supportive and vibrant. Evolution is a brilliant icebreaker for any group size and a guaranteed way to create instant engagement, positive energy, and shared fun.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Encourages students to recognise and express emotions such as excitement, joy, and anticipation through playful participation.
- Builds awareness of non-verbal communication and emotional expression through the noises, gestures, and actions at each evolutionary stage.
- Promotes positive emotional regulation by encouraging laughter, patience, and adaptability during wins and losses.
2. Personal Strengths
- Encourages students to demonstrate resilience, humour, and creativity as they progress or regress through the stages.
- Builds confidence by providing opportunities for playful self-expression in a supportive, non-judgemental environment.
- Reinforces persistence and a positive attitude as students continue engaging even after setbacks.
3. Positive Coping
- Supports healthy coping skills by normalising mistakes and setbacks as part of the fun.
- Encourages students to handle disappointment light-heartedly, reinforcing that progress takes effort and time.
- Provides a joyful outlet for physical energy and emotion, helping students manage stress and maintain positivity.
4. Problem Solving
- Develops quick decision-making and strategy through repeated rounds of rock-paper-scissors.
- Encourages flexible thinking as students adapt their approach and anticipate their opponents’ moves.
- Promotes goal-setting and perseverance as students strive to reach the final “human” stage.
5. Stress Management
- Provides an active and laughter-filled experience that reduces stress and promotes relaxation.
- Reinforces that fun, play, and physical movement are effective tools for boosting mood and releasing tension.
- Encourages social play as a way to connect, laugh, and relieve daily pressures.
6. Help-Seeking
- Builds comfort in approaching others and initiating friendly interactions through repeated challenges.
- Reinforces the idea that seeking out connection and engagement with peers is healthy and rewarding.
- Normalises asking questions, seeking clarification, and sharing laughter as part of positive group dynamics.
7. Gender and Identity
- Promotes inclusivity and equality by celebrating creativity, imagination, and participation rather than physical ability or competition.
- Encourages each student to express their personality freely through sound and movement.
- Affirms that all identities and expressions are valued within playful, community-based learning.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Builds respectful and cooperative relationships by encouraging players to support, cheer for, and laugh with one another.
- Reinforces fairness, encouragement, and good sportsmanship in a light-hearted competition.
- Promotes shared joy and belonging by focusing on group fun over individual achievement.
The Compliment Game
The Compliment Game is a heartwarming and uplifting activity designed to strengthen relationships through genuine, personalised affirmations. Using simple prompts, participants share thoughtful compliments about one another, helping everyone feel seen, valued, and appreciated. The game encourages kindness, boosts self-esteem, and creates a warm, positive atmosphere where students can openly celebrate each other’s strengths and qualities.
As participants take turns giving and receiving compliments, the room quickly fills with smiles, connection, and a sense of belonging. The game naturally builds group trust and cohesion, making it perfect for classrooms, leadership groups, or team-building sessions. More than just a confidence booster, The Compliment Game helps develop emotional intelligence and communication skills, while reminding everyone just how powerful a kind word can be.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Builds emotional awareness by helping students recognise and express positive emotions such as appreciation, joy, and gratitude.
- Encourages empathy as students identify and articulate what they value in others.
- Supports emotional regulation through affirming and being affirmed, reinforcing positive feelings and connections.
2. Personal Strengths
- Promotes recognition of both personal and peer strengths, fostering a sense of pride and self-worth.
- Encourages students to identify specific qualities that make others unique, reinforcing an appreciation for diversity of strengths within the group.
- Builds confidence by highlighting and celebrating individual contributions and positive characteristics.
3. Positive Coping
- Helps students cope with negative emotions or self-doubt by focusing on affirmations and uplifting feedback.
- Reinforces kindness and gratitude as positive strategies for improving group harmony and emotional resilience.
- Encourages the use of positive communication to strengthen relationships and enhance wellbeing.
4. Problem Solving
- Enhances communication and reflection skills by prompting students to think critically about how they observe and appreciate others.
- Encourages creative thinking in expressing compliments that are personal, genuine, and meaningful.
- Promotes understanding that positive acknowledgment can help resolve or prevent conflict by fostering mutual respect.
5. Stress Management
- Provides an emotionally safe and uplifting experience that reduces tension and anxiety within the group.
- Promotes mindfulness through the act of focusing on gratitude and the present positive qualities of peers.
- Builds a positive classroom or group atmosphere that supports overall emotional wellbeing.
6. Help-Seeking
- Normalises expressing appreciation and positive emotions, making it easier for students to communicate openly with peers.
- Encourages supportive relationships where students feel safe to share feelings, compliments, and seek help when needed.
- Reinforces the idea that kindness and connection are essential forms of emotional support.
7. Gender and Identity
- Promotes inclusivity and equality by ensuring all participants receive recognition for their unique strengths.
- Encourages students to appreciate individuality beyond stereotypes, highlighting character, effort, and kindness over appearance or popularity.
- Builds self-acceptance by helping students recognise that everyone has valuable traits to offer.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Reinforces respectful communication and appreciation across all genders.
- Builds empathy, kindness, and trust, fostering an environment where everyone feels seen and valued.
- Promotes fairness and equality in interactions, supporting the development of healthy peer relationships.
Running Dice
Running Dice is a fast-paced fitness game that blends running, teamwork, and escalating physical challenges. Players roll a dice to determine which exercise station to sprint to, completing reps that increase each round. The constant movement between the home base and the cones keeps the energy high, while the rising repetition count pushes participants to build endurance, strength, and determination.
Working in pairs or small teams, players motivate and encourage one another as they race against time to complete as many rounds as possible. The shared challenge strengthens collaboration and team spirit, creating an environment of positive support and collective effort. Running Dice is a dynamic and adaptable workout game that transforms fitness into fun, perfect for team-building sessions or energetic warm-ups.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Encourages students to recognise and express emotions associated with effort, challenge, and teamwork.
- Builds emotional awareness by helping students notice how physical activity influences their energy, focus, and motivation.
- Promotes empathy as students observe and respond to teammates’ emotions through encouragement and shared success.
2. Personal Strengths
- Fosters perseverance, determination, and resilience as students push through physical challenges.
- Encourages self-confidence and pride by celebrating progress, effort, and teamwork rather than just outcomes.
- Helps students recognise personal and collective strengths, such as endurance, leadership, and supportiveness.
3. Positive Coping
- Reinforces coping strategies by encouraging students to stay positive, even when they feel tired or challenged.
- Promotes healthy stress release through movement, helping students regulate emotions in an active, constructive way.
- Encourages humour, laughter, and motivation as coping tools to sustain engagement and perseverance.
4. Problem Solving
- Develops strategic thinking as teams plan how to divide repetitions, pace themselves, and communicate efficiently.
- Promotes goal-setting and reflection by encouraging students to plan how to improve in each round.
- Enhances teamwork and creativity as groups find fair, cooperative ways to achieve their objectives.
5. Stress Management
- Provides a physically active outlet for releasing stress and boosting mood through exercise and play.
- Encourages focus on teamwork and connection, which reduces pressure and promotes a balanced mindset.
- Builds emotional resilience by teaching students to stay calm, composed, and cooperative under time-based challenges.
6. Help-Seeking
- Reinforces that seeking help or encouragement from teammates is a normal and positive part of achieving goals.
- Builds communication confidence, as students must ask for support, coordinate turns, and clarify shared strategies.
- Promotes a sense of collective responsibility, where each player contributes and feels supported by the group.
7. Gender and Identity
- Ensures inclusivity by valuing effort, teamwork, and participation equally across all genders and ability levels.
- Promotes self-expression through teamwork, leadership, and support roles that highlight diverse strengths.
- Challenges stereotypes by encouraging every participant to contribute physically, emotionally, and socially.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Builds respectful relationships through teamwork, fairness, and encouragement among peers.
- Reinforces the importance of equitable participation and collaboration regardless of gender or ability.
- Promotes shared celebration of effort, strengthening trust and positive social interactions.
Empathy Walk
The Empathy Walk is a powerful, reflective activity designed to help students understand what empathy looks like in real life. Through guided scenario discussions, partners walk together while exploring how it feels to be in someone else’s shoes and how they might respond with kindness, support, and understanding. The activity involves both pre-written scenarios and personal experiences, giving students the chance to reflect deeply, practise active listening, and recognise the importance of compassion in everyday interactions.
As students share their feelings and discuss meaningful ways to show empathy, the space quickly becomes one of trust, vulnerability, and connection. The Empathy Walk strengthens relationships by encouraging honest conversations and helping students develop the emotional skills to support one another. It’s a simple yet incredibly impactful activity that builds a caring classroom culture and equips students with empathy they can apply well beyond the session.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Develops students’ ability to identify and name a range of emotions in themselves and others.
- Builds awareness of emotional triggers and teaches students to communicate feelings in a respectful and supportive way.
- Strengthens understanding of non-verbal cues and active listening as tools for recognising how others feel.
2. Personal Strengths
- Encourages courage and vulnerability by allowing students to share real-life experiences and emotions.
- Promotes compassion, honesty, and authenticity as personal strengths that build deeper trust with others.
- Helps students identify the strength in empathy, understanding others’ perspectives as a key life skill.
3. Positive Coping
- Reinforces healthy emotional regulation by discussing ways to respond with care and understanding in challenging situations.
- Encourages students to use empathy as a positive coping mechanism for navigating conflict, loss, or disappointment.
- Helps students recognise that supporting others can also improve their own emotional wellbeing.
4. Problem Solving
- Encourages critical thinking about how to respond effectively and compassionately to real-life emotional scenarios.
- Promotes perspective-taking, helping students consider multiple viewpoints before taking action.
- Builds collaborative problem-solving skills by discussing possible ways to help others in times of need.
5. Stress Management
- Provides a supportive space for students to release emotions through reflection and conversation.
- Reinforces the value of open dialogue and mutual understanding as tools to reduce stress and isolation.
- Encourages mindfulness and calm communication through listening and walking together.
6. Help-Seeking
- Normalises sharing emotions and seeking support from peers, teachers, and trusted adults.
- Teaches students how to offer and ask for help respectfully, building emotional safety in relationships.
- Reinforces that empathy and understanding can be the first step in helping someone find appropriate support.
7. Gender and Identity
- Promotes inclusion by validating all emotional experiences regardless of gender or background.
- Challenges stereotypes around emotional expression, encouraging both boys and girls to show empathy and vulnerability.
- Encourages acceptance of diverse perspectives and emotional responses as part of individual identity.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Builds respectful, caring relationships grounded in understanding, listening, and compassion.
- Encourages fair and kind interactions across genders by highlighting shared emotional experiences.
- Promotes an empathetic, supportive group culture where respect and trust form the foundation of connection.
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