The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 5 & 6
Week Twenty One centres on kindness, creativity, movement, and emotional connection. Through a series of playful, expressive activities, students explore how small acts of kindness can make a big difference in their classroom community. The week begins with interactive sharing games like Kindness Catch, where students practise verbalising kind actions and listening respectfully to one another. This builds confidence, communication skills, and a sense of belonging as students share ideas that uplift and support their peers. Creativity comes alive in Kindness Garden, where students visually represent acts of kindness through colourful flower drawings that contribute to a shared class display. These artistic reflections help students understand how everyday thoughtful actions can improve both their environment and the world around them.
Movement and joyful expression take centre stage in Pass the Smile, encouraging children to communicate positivity through playful gestures, laughter, and non-verbal connection. This game strengthens group cohesion, boosts emotional awareness, and builds confidence through simple, supportive interactions. The week concludes with Compliment Chain, a powerful activity where students give and receive authentic compliments, practising gratitude, empathy, and appreciation for others. Together, these experiences nurture a warm and inclusive classroom culture, helping students build emotional literacy, celebrate kindness, and feel deeply connected to their peers as they continue their Playful Astronaut journey.
Courses
Kindness Catch
Kindness Catch invites students into a simple, uplifting circle game where every soft pass of the ball becomes a chance to share a caring action or thoughtful idea. As the ball moves around the group, students practise speaking with confidence while exploring ways they can look after the people and places around them. The activity gently encourages students to notice moments where kindness can show up in daily life, at school, at home, or anywhere they go, helping them recognise that small actions can make a big difference. With each turn, the class learns more about how compassionate choices help everyone feel supported and included.
The shared rhythm of tossing, catching, and listening builds a sense of togetherness, as students take turns, celebrate each other’s ideas, and enjoy the positive atmosphere they create as a group. By the end of the activity, the circle feels more connected, with students inspired by new acts of kindness they may want to try. This also links beautifully with the Playful Astronauts' first stop on Earth, where looking after one another and caring for the world around us is part of the mission. Kindness Catch leaves students feeling encouraged, confident, and ready to bring more kindness into their classroom community.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students identify and express positive emotions connected to kindness (e.g., pride, empathy, joy).
- They practise articulating how kindness feels and how it affects others.
- The activity reinforces understanding of how behaviours (kind acts) influence emotions in relationships.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students recognise strengths such as empathy, helpfulness, and teamwork.
- Sharing ideas aloud builds confidence in their ability to contribute positively to the group.
- Acknowledging classmates’ kind acts highlights the strengths within the community.
3. Positive Coping
- Students learn that giving kindness and receiving kindness are coping tools that reduce stress and increase connection.
- The supportive circle structure helps students practise calm turn-taking and clear communication.
- Hearing others’ ideas can provide strategies for managing their own social or emotional challenges.
4. Problem-Solving
- Students practise respectful communication (listening, speaking clearly, waiting their turn).
- When offering kind actions, students are effectively identifying solutions to everyday social challenges.
- The variation (giving compliments) reinforces constructive feedback and conflict-free communication.
5. Stress Management
- The gentle, inclusive nature of the game promotes a calming group environment.
- Sharing positive actions helps reduce social anxiety, especially for quieter students.
- Reflecting on kindness builds emotional safety, helping students feel more grounded and connected.
6. Gender and Identity
- Students share kinds of kindness not limited by gender stereotypes, they practise inclusive ideas anyone can do.
- Reinforces that caring behaviours are not tied to gender roles and belong to everyone.
- Encourages appreciation of diversity as students hear varied examples from classmates.
7. Positive Relationships
- Students practise kindness, praise, and encouragement, key ingredients of healthy friendships.
- Turn-taking, active listening, and affirming others strengthen trust and inclusion in the group.
- Reinforces boundaries around respectful behaviour: gentle throws, positive language, and supportive reactions.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students learn that kindness includes supporting others and asking for help when needed.
- They hear actionable ideas from peers that model safe and appropriate help-seeking behaviours.
- Builds a culture where reaching out, emotionally or socially, is normalised and celebrated.
Kindness Garden
Kindness Garden gives students a creative way to explore how caring actions can help people, and the planet, thrive. Each student designs a colourful flower that represents a thoughtful choice they can make at school or at home, turning their ideas into bright symbols of positive behaviour. As they draw and imagine, students begin to see how simple gestures, helping a classmate, caring for a pet, tidying a shared space, can make their world a happier, more connected place. The activity gently reinforces the idea that kindness grows just like a garden does: one small seed at a time.
When the flowers come together on the classroom wall, the display becomes a shared celebration of the group’s caring actions. Students take pride in adding their own creation while learning from the ideas of their classmates, building a sense of unity and appreciation for everyone’s contributions. This links beautifully to the Playful Astronauts’ first stop on Earth, where students learn that caring for others and for nature helps our world flourish. The Kindness Garden becomes a colourful reminder of what the class can achieve when everyone chooses to nurture kindness.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students identify and express emotions connected to kindness through drawing and reflection.
- They articulate why their chosen kind act is meaningful, linking feelings to behaviours.
- Seeing the full garden helps students recognise how positive actions influence group emotions and classroom climate.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students demonstrate creativity, empathy, and reflection by designing their kindness flowers.
- Speaking about their flower builds confidence and reinforces personal strengths such as helping, caring, and responsibility.
- Recognising classmates’ contributions affirms diverse strengths within the group.
3. Positive Coping
- Reflecting on small acts of kindness helps students learn that prosocial behaviour is a healthy coping strategy.
- The art-based approach offers a calm, mindful outlet for expressing positive intentions.
- Talking about kindness reinforces strategies for dealing with stress, such as supporting others or taking caring actions.
4. Problem-Solving
- Students think of practical, kind solutions to everyday social situations (e.g., helping a friend, caring for the environment).
- Explaining their flowers encourages clear, respectful communication.
- Hearing others’ ideas broadens their repertoire of constructive, relationship-strengthening responses.
5. Stress Management
- The creative, quiet drawing component supports relaxation and emotional regulation.
- Displaying the garden builds a visually calming, positive classroom environment.
- Connecting kindness to caring for Earth helps students consider how thoughtful actions reduce stress for themselves and others.
6. Gender and Identity
- Students generate kindness ideas that challenge stereotypes, anyone can help, care, and contribute.
- The open-ended art expression supports individual identity and personal voice.
- Diversity is celebrated visually and verbally through the variety of flowers and ideas shared.
7. Positive Relationships
- Sharing flowers promotes empathy, inclusion, and respectful listening.
- The collective garden symbolises group cohesion and reinforces the idea that everyone contributes to a positive class culture.
- Students learn how kindness strengthens friendships, supports wellbeing, and improves the overall social environment.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students identify situations where helping or supporting others is needed, normalising help-seeking as a positive behaviour.
- Hearing peers’ examples provides models of when and how to ask for or offer help.
- The shared display becomes a reminder that the classroom is a community where support is available.
Pass the Smile
Pass the Smile is a lively circle game that encourages students to share joy through simple, expressive movements. With each turn, a smile, wave, or playful pose travels from one classmate to the next, carried along by hops, spins, wiggles, or any fun movement students choose. The activity helps students discover how non-verbal gestures can brighten someone’s day and make the group feel more connected. As the circle comes alive with laughter and imaginative actions, students build confidence in expressing themselves while learning how their positive energy can lift others.
The shared flow of movement creates a chain of happiness that everyone contributes to, making the classroom feel warm, supportive, and full of playful spirit. Students stay engaged by watching closely, responding to the gesture they receive, and adding their own twist before passing it along. When the circle is complete, the group reflects on what it felt like to send and receive joyful gestures, reinforcing the idea that kindness doesn’t always need words. This activity links beautifully to the Playful Astronauts’ first stop on Earth, highlighting how small moments of joy can help a community flourish.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students interpret and express emotions through smiles, poses, and body language.
- They learn to notice how gestures influence their own feelings and the emotions of peers.
- Reflection questions help students connect positive actions with emotional responses.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students use creativity, humour, and confidence to share joyful gestures with the group.
- They recognise strengths such as courage (performing in front of others), positivity, and inclusivity.
- Celebrating silly poses and playful actions helps students value unique strengths in themselves and others.
3. Positive Coping
- Movement, smiles, and laughter reduce tension and support emotional regulation.
- Students practise using positive actions (e.g., smiling, waving) as strategies to lift their own mood.
- Participating in a safe, joyful circle activity builds resilience through shared enjoyment.
4. Problem-Solving
- Students practise reading non-verbal cues and responding respectfully.
- They learn social problem-solving by navigating turn-taking, timing, and adapting gestures.
- The game models prosocial responses, choosing actions that help others feel included and cared for.
5. Stress Management
- Physical movement provides an outlet for nervous energy and supports well-being.
- Smiling and humour are natural stress-relief strategies, reducing anxiety in a group setting.
- The low-pressure, playful structure supports students who may typically feel shy or hesitant.
6. Gender and Identity
- Gestures and movements are not tied to gender expectations, any student can be playful, expressive, and silly.
- Students build comfort expressing their authentic selves through non-verbal communication.
- Diversity of expression is celebrated, helping students appreciate individuality and difference.
7. Positive Relationships
- Students strengthen social bonds through shared movement, laughter, and positive interactions.
- The circle structure fosters equality, visibility, and belonging for all participants.
- Responding with a smile reinforces respect, kindness, and reciprocal connection.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students learn that positive gestures can be a supportive, non-verbal way to brighten someone's day.
- The game normalises expressing needs and emotions through body language.
- The reflective discussion encourages students to recognise when they or others might need connection, support, or a simple smile.
Compliment Chain
Compliment Chain creates a warm and joyful moment where students share genuine appreciation with the people around them. As the chain begins, each child offers a simple, heartfelt compliment to the next person in the circle, helping them recognise the positive qualities in their classmates, kindness, helpfulness, creativity, or even a bright smile. This gentle exchange encourages students to practise gratitude, express kind thoughts confidently, and experience the happiness that comes from both giving and receiving uplifting words. As the compliments flow around the circle, the classroom becomes a place where kindness is noticed, spoken aloud, and celebrated.
When the chain is complete, students reflect together on how it felt to share something thoughtful and how meaningful it was to hear kind words from others. These moments of connection help students understand that small expressions of kindness can make a big difference, just like the lessons from Earth in the Playful Astronauts journey. The experience leaves the group feeling valued and united, with a simple reminder that compliments cost nothing, but they can brighten someone’s entire day.
Respectful Relationships
1. Emotional Literacy
- Students recognise and name positive emotions they feel when giving and receiving compliments.
- They practise expressing appreciation and identifying the behaviours or qualities that make others feel valued.
- Reflection questions deepen awareness of how words influence emotions and relationships.
2. Personal Strengths
- Students identify strengths in their peers, helpfulness, humour, kindness, creativity, resilience, etc.
- They learn to communicate strengths respectfully and specifically, building their capacity to notice positive traits in others.
- Receiving compliments boosts self-esteem and reinforces the value of each student within the group.
3. Positive Coping
- Students experience how positive words can lift mood, reduce stress, and support emotional regulation.
- The activity models prosocial strategies (giving compliments, expressing gratitude) that students can use in challenging moments.
- Hearing and verbalising compliments builds resilience by creating a supportive emotional climate.
4. Problem-Solving
- Students practise respectful communication, turn-taking, and active listening.
- Offering compliments teaches students to focus on constructive, relationship-enhancing behaviours.
- When unsure what to say, students learn to generate solutions (e.g., noticing helpful actions, recalling kind moments).
5. Stress Management
- Encouraging conversations filled with positive words reduces social anxiety and fosters a calm environment.
- Compliments help students feel seen and appreciated, key protective factors in managing stress.
- The circle structure and predictable sequence offer emotional safety for participation.
6. Gender and Identity
- Compliments focus on character and actions, not stereotypes, reinforcing that kindness and strengths are not gendered.
- Students hear diverse affirmations that celebrate individuality and personal identity.
- The activity models inclusive language and appreciation for everyone’s unique contributions.
7. Positive Relationships
- Students practise giving and receiving affirmation, a core skill for building strong, respectful friendships.
- The activity strengthens trust, empathy, and emotional connection across the group.
- The compliment “chain” visually and symbolically demonstrates how kindness spreads and connects people.
8. Help-Seeking
- Students learn that a supportive, kind classroom community makes it easier to ask for help when needed.
- Giving compliments models how to encourage others, validating behaviours that make help-seeking safer.
- Receiving positive feedback increases confidence, making students more willing to reach out to peers or adults.
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