The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 5 & 6
Week Seven centres on quick thinking, coordination, and kindness, blending energising movement activities with meaningful reflection. Students engage in fast-paced partner games that sharpen their reflexes, challenge their coordination, and keep them physically active while having fun. These activities encourage students to synchronise actions, respond rapidly to instructions, and stay fully present, all skills that support both physical literacy and cognitive flexibility.
Alongside the action, students deepen their empathy and emotional awareness through gratitude and kindness-based activities. They create personalised gratitude cards to strengthen family connections and take part in a week-long kindness challenge that encourages compassion for themselves, others, and even strangers. These reflective practices nurture emotional well-being, build stronger relationships, and contribute to a positive classroom culture where kindness becomes a shared responsibility. Together, the activities of Week Seven support students in becoming more aware, connected, and kind individuals, both inside and outside the classroom.
Courses
Happy Face Mean Face
Happy Face Mean Face is a fast, energetic partner game designed to spark instant laughter, connection, and focus at the start of any session. Players face off in pairs and attempt to match facial expressions, either a happy face or a mean face, while performing coordinated physical actions like jumping, spinning, or even completing a full burpee sequence. The classic version keeps things simple with 180-degree jumps and quick reactions, while the fitness version adds a fun challenge with planks and push-ups before the expression reveal. The combination of movement, anticipation, and surprise keeps the energy high and encourages players to stay focused and think quickly in the moment.
Beyond the physical fun, this game builds social connection and shared enjoyment, making it an ideal icebreaker for groups of any age. Players rotate through partners after each round, which fosters positive peer interaction, teamwork, and plenty of shared laughter. Whether participants are tagging each other after matching expressions or resetting after a mismatch, the atmosphere stays light, playful, and inclusive. Happy Face Mean Face blends coordination, quick thinking, and joy in a simple format that boosts energy, builds rapport, and sets the tone for a positive, engaging session ahead.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Encourages students to recognise, express, and interpret emotions through playful facial expressions.
- Builds empathy and emotional awareness as students read and respond to their partner’s expressions.
- Promotes self-regulation by helping students manage the excitement and laughter of fast-paced interaction.
2. Personal Strengths
- Highlights personal strengths such as quick reflexes, creativity, and humour.
- Builds confidence through participation, laughter, and successful coordination with partners.
- Encourages students to appreciate their own and others’ ability to bring energy, joy, and fun to group activities.
3. Positive Coping
- Helps students manage competitive emotions, learning to respond to mistakes or mismatched expressions with laughter instead of frustration.
- Reinforces play and humour as positive coping mechanisms in social and physical situations.
- Encourages persistence and optimism through repeated rounds and partner changes.
4. Problem Solving
- Develops quick decision-making as students anticipate and react to their partner’s expressions and actions.
- Encourages flexibility and adaptive thinking when gameplay outcomes change suddenly.
- Promotes strategic awareness of timing, coordination, and body control during physical movement.
5. Stress Management
- Provides a high-energy, laughter-filled outlet that reduces stress and boosts mood.
- Encourages mindfulness of breathing, focus, and relaxation between rounds.
- Supports emotional release through play, turning physical activity into a joyful, calming experience.
6. Help-Seeking
- Normalises asking questions, seeking clarification, or copying peers’ movements to understand gameplay.
- Encourages peer encouragement and mutual support, particularly when learning new movements.
- Reinforces a cooperative mindset, where helping and laughter replace competition and self-consciousness.
7. Gender and Identity
- Creates a fully inclusive environment where self-expression and individuality are celebrated through movement and facial expression.
- Breaks down barriers and stereotypes by valuing fun, connection, and creativity equally among all participants.
- Promotes equality by ensuring every student can participate confidently without fear of judgment.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Builds respectful connections through shared laughter, encouragement, and light-hearted play.
- Reinforces fairness, kindness, and inclusivity during pair-based interactions.
- Strengthens classroom culture through positive communication, mutual respect, and collective enjoyment.
My Family Gratitude Card
My Family Gratitude Card is a meaningful, student-created activity designed to strengthen gratitude awareness and deepen family connection. Students design a personalised gratitude card featuring six thoughtful, reflective questions, one for each number on a six-sided dice. As they create their questions, students are encouraged to think about the people, moments, and memories that matter most to them. This process builds emotional awareness and communication skills while giving students a sense of ownership and pride over a gratitude tool they’ve designed themselves.
Once the card goes home, it becomes a powerful daily ritual that encourages families to slow down, talk, and appreciate the positives in their lives. Each night, family members roll the dice and answer the corresponding question, creating warm, meaningful conversations that strengthen bonds and boost connection. When students return to school and reflect on the experience, either individually, in class discussions, or through a reflection wall, they gain a deeper understanding of how gratitude can shape relationships and enhance well-being. My Family Gratitude Card blends creativity, emotional learning, and family engagement into one simple but impactful activity that can easily become a cherished household tradition.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Encourages students to recognise, express, and communicate positive emotions such as gratitude, pride, and love.
- Builds empathy and emotional understanding as students reflect on and listen to family members’ feelings and experiences.
- Strengthens emotional vocabulary through the creation of thoughtful, reflective gratitude questions.
2. Personal Strengths
- Helps students identify and celebrate personal and family strengths through gratitude-based reflection.
- Encourages confidence and creativity as students design and personalise their own gratitude cards.
- Reinforces self-awareness and pride in their role as positive contributors to family wellbeing.
3. Positive Coping
- Promotes gratitude as a healthy coping strategy for managing challenging emotions or stressful days.
- Encourages reflection on positive experiences, fostering optimism and emotional balance.
- Provides a simple, ongoing tool for families to practise appreciation and connection in daily life.
4. Problem Solving
- Develops critical thinking as students create open-ended questions that prompt meaningful reflection.
- Encourages thoughtful consideration of how gratitude can be used to strengthen family relationships.
- Promotes reflective discussion about how kindness, empathy, and understanding can solve everyday problems.
5. Stress Management
- Provides a calm and mindful activity that supports relaxation and emotional regulation.
- Reinforces the connection between gratitude and reduced stress, helping students focus on what is going well.
- Encourages families to create a supportive environment where positive reflection becomes a daily habit.
6. Help-Seeking
- Normalises open emotional communication within the family, helping students feel safe to share their thoughts.
- Encourages families to discuss emotions and seek understanding from one another.
- Reinforces that expressing gratitude and appreciation can strengthen trust and connection.
7. Gender and Identity
- Promotes inclusivity and equal participation by valuing every family member’s perspective.
- Allows students to express their unique identity through personalised design and question choice.
- Encourages respect for diverse family structures, traditions, and expressions of gratitude.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Builds respectful communication and empathy within families through shared storytelling and appreciation.
- Reinforces kindness, equality, and listening as key aspects of positive relationships.
- Strengthens connections through fair turn-taking, supportive dialogue, and mutual respect.
Head Shoulders Knee Cone
Head Shoulders Knee Cone is a high-energy reaction game that boosts agility, focus, and quick thinking while getting participants moving and laughing together. In pairs, players listen closely to the instructor’s commands, “head,” “shoulders,” “knees”, and must rapidly touch the correct body part with both hands before reacting to the ultimate cue: “cone.” The split-second race to grab the cone creates excitement, friendly competition, and lots of laughter. This game strengthens coordination, enhances reaction time, and encourages students to stay mentally sharp as the pace gradually increases.
The activity also promotes positive social interaction, resilience, and sportsmanship through constant partner changes and fun physical challenges. Players cheer each other on, handle wins and losses with a positive attitude, and build new connections through repeated short rounds. The optional coloured-cone variation adds an extra layer of challenge by combining colour recognition with fast decision-making. Whether used as a warm-up, an energiser, or a team-building activity, Head Shoulders Knee Cone creates an engaging and upbeat atmosphere that gets everyone moving, smiling, and ready for the session ahead.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Encourages awareness of emotions such as excitement, anticipation, and determination during fast-paced play.
- Builds empathy and understanding as students share laughter and energy with their partners.
- Promotes emotional regulation by helping students manage competitiveness and stay positive after wins or losses.
2. Personal Strengths
- Highlights strengths such as agility, focus, and quick decision-making.
- Encourages students to recognise and appreciate personal progress in coordination, reaction time, and sportsmanship.
- Builds confidence through physical success, persistence, and active engagement.
3. Positive Coping
- Teaches students to handle mistakes, misses, or losses with humour and resilience.
- Reinforces positive self-talk and team encouragement as coping strategies in competitive play.
- Promotes a healthy attitude toward winning and losing through light-hearted, supportive interaction.
4. Problem Solving
- Develops critical thinking as students quickly interpret instructions and decide how to respond.
- Enhances focus and situational awareness, requiring rapid adaptation to changing commands.
- Encourages reflection on timing, accuracy, and technique to improve future rounds.
5. Stress Management
- Provides an energetic outlet for releasing tension and building physical and mental alertness.
- Encourages students to stay calm and focused in a high-energy, fast-paced environment.
- Supports self-regulation through controlled movements, breathing, and focus during gameplay.
6. Help-Seeking
- Normalises asking for rule clarification or technique support in a playful, non-threatening setting.
- Encourages peer encouragement and cooperative learning through observation and imitation.
- Reinforces that learning through collaboration and support enhances enjoyment and skill.
7. Gender and Identity
- Provides an inclusive environment where all students participate equally regardless of skill or background.
- Breaks down stereotypes by focusing on agility, focus, and fun rather than strength or dominance.
- Promotes equality and acceptance by mixing pairs and celebrating everyone’s contributions.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Builds respect and positive interactions through fair play, kindness, and sportsmanship.
- Reinforces cooperative competition where laughter and encouragement replace rivalry.
- Strengthens class or team culture through shared energy, connection, and mutual respect.
Three Acts of Kindness for the win
Three Acts of Kindness for the WIN is a powerful well-being activity that encourages students to intentionally practise kindness toward themselves, someone they know, a stranger, and a mystery classmate. Students begin by planning three meaningful acts of kindness, one focused on self-care, one for a friend or family member, and one for a stranger, allowing them to explore different ways kindness can be expressed. They then create a fourth kindness challenge that is randomly assigned to another student in the class, adding surprise, creativity, and a sense of collective responsibility to the experience. Throughout the week, students complete their acts and begin noticing how even small gestures can uplift others and create positive change.
The activity promotes empathy, generosity, and emotional awareness while building a culture of kindness across the classroom or school community. As students carry out and reflect on their acts, they develop deeper insight into how kindness impacts their mood, relationships, and sense of purpose. Sharing these reflections at the end of the week helps strengthen class connection and highlights the ripple effect that kindness can have on individuals and communities. Three Acts of Kindness for the WIN is a simple yet transformative practice that boosts mental well-being, nurtures self-care habits, and inspires students to become everyday changemakers.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Encourages recognition and expression of emotions such as gratitude, empathy, and joy through giving and receiving kindness.
- Builds emotional awareness as students reflect on how kindness affects both the giver and the receiver.
- Strengthens understanding of emotional connections by exploring how small actions can make a big difference in others’ wellbeing.
2. Personal Strengths
- Helps students identify personal strengths such as compassion, generosity, and initiative through their acts of kindness.
- Builds self-esteem and confidence by highlighting students’ ability to create positive change.
- Encourages pride in using individual strengths to contribute to the happiness and wellbeing of others.
3. Positive Coping
- Promotes kindness and gratitude as positive coping mechanisms that enhance emotional resilience.
- Encourages students to practise self-care as a means of managing stress and nurturing personal wellbeing.
- Reinforces reflection as a healthy process for processing emotions and finding balance through positivity.
4. Problem Solving
- Develops creative thinking as students design achievable and meaningful acts of kindness.
- Encourages consideration of how their actions can meet others’ needs and make a genuine difference.
- Strengthens planning and reflection skills through mapping out, performing, and evaluating kind acts.
5. Stress Management
- Provides a purposeful focus on positivity that helps reduce stress and increase happiness.
- Reinforces mindfulness and gratitude practices that promote calmness and emotional regulation.
- Supports self-awareness by encouraging students to recognise how kindness contributes to mental wellbeing.
6. Help-Seeking
- Normalises reaching out and offering support to others as an act of care and connection.
- Encourages empathy-driven communication and openness when giving or receiving help.
- Reinforces community responsibility by showing that seeking and providing kindness strengthens relationships.
7. Gender and Identity
- Promotes inclusivity and equality by valuing kindness and empathy as universal human traits.
- Provides opportunities for all students to express their individuality through unique, creative acts of kindness.
- Encourages appreciation for diverse ways people express care and generosity, challenging stereotypes.
8. Positive Gender Relations
- Builds respect and understanding through thoughtful, compassionate interactions.
- Reinforces fairness, kindness, and equality in relationships by promoting mutual support and appreciation.
- Strengthens class culture by fostering empathy, gratitude, and collective responsibility for positive behaviour.
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