The School of Play Curriculum
Secondary School
Week Ten blends strategic thinking, communication, movement, and gratitude to create a vibrant, collaborative learning experience. Students improve their ability to describe, act, recall, and respond quickly through games like Fast and Fun Famous Faces and Card Memory Lane, which challenge both their communication skills and memory under pressure. These playful activities naturally strengthen teamwork as students rely on partners, coordinate strategies, and support one another to achieve shared goals. The physical elements of the session keep energy high and help students connect cognitive challenge with movement, building stronger engagement and focus.
The week also encourages meaningful reflection and gratitude, helping students develop self-awareness and a positive mindset. Through activities like PEGG Reflection and Paddocks Gratitude, students consider how play, exercise, gratitude, and giving have shaped their growth and well-being. They share personal insights, express appreciation, and recognise the positive people and experiences in their lives. Together, these activities highlight the importance of communication, teamwork, and gratitude, empowering students to strengthen relationships, celebrate progress, and carry positive habits into their everyday lives.
Weekly Lessons
Fast and Fun Famous Faces
Fast & Fun Famous Faces is a lively, fast-paced partner game that blends quick thinking, communication, and creativity. Working in small groups, players take turns guessing famous personalities through three distinct rounds, describing, acting, and using only one word. Each round becomes progressively more challenging, encouraging students to use clear language, expressive non-verbal cues, and clever one-word clues to help their partner identify as many famous faces as possible within the 30-second time limit.
The game promotes teamwork, memory recall, and rapid problem-solving as pairs build momentum across rounds and cheer each other on. Because all names remain in play after Round One, players must rely on their memory, attention, and growing familiarity with the clues to score points. Fast & Fun Famous Faces creates a fun, energetic environment ideal for classrooms, well-being sessions, parties, and team-building activities, bringing laughter, collaboration, and healthy competition to any group.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
Fast & Fun Famous Faces promotes equality by:
- Creating space for every student to participate, regardless of confidence level, academic ability, or communication style.
- Encouraging diverse expressive strengths, allowing students to contribute through acting, describing, or quick thinking.
- Ensuring all voices hold equal value, as each partner must describe and guess, promoting balanced participation.
- Reducing pressure by using shared prompts, helping students with different backgrounds or abilities feel included.
Building Healthy Relationships
The activity strengthens relationship-building skills through:
- Partner collaboration, which requires students to rely on one another and build trust across all three rounds.
- Shared laughter and fun, fostering positive emotional connection and strengthening peer relationships.
- Supportive teamwork, where partners encourage and celebrate one another’s successes, building rapport.
- Communication of understanding, as students must tune into each other’s cues, perspectives, and thinking styles.
Developing Communication Skills
Fast & Fun Famous Faces significantly enhances communication by:
- Encouraging clear verbal communication, especially in the first round, where descriptive language must be precise and accessible.
- Promoting expressive non-verbal communication, as students rely solely on actions in round two.
- Strengthening concise communication, with the one-word challenge in round three, developing the ability to choose meaningful and effective language.
- Enhancing active listening, as guessers must be fully attentive to cues, tone, gestures, and context.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
Students develop social–emotional skills through:
- Perspective-taking, as they think about how their partner might interpret clues.
- Emotional regulation, managing excitement, pressure, or frustration in a timed environment.
- Confidence-building, as they take risks by acting, describing, and guessing in front of peers.
- Shared enjoyment, strengthening bonds and improving group morale through humour and play.
Challenging Stereotypes
This activity challenges stereotypes by:
- Highlighting that communication strengths differ, showing that leadership, intelligence, or success are not tied to one communication style.
- Encouraging the celebration of diverse role models, offering opportunities to discuss people from various backgrounds, cultures, and fields.
- Breaking down gendered expectations around performance, as everyone participates equally in describing, acting, and guessing.
- Reinforcing that contribution does not depend on loudness or dominance, fostering inclusion for quieter or less outspoken students.
Recognising Rights
Fast & Fun Famous Faces supports students’ rights by:
- Creating a psychologically safe environment, where all students can participate without judgment.
- Respecting the right to engage at their comfort level, allowing students to adjust performance style within game rules.
- Ensuring fairness, as everyone receives equal opportunity to guess, describe, and earn points.
- Promoting mutual respect, teaching students to value each other’s communication efforts and celebrate differences.
PEGG Reflection
PEGG Reflection is a powerful end-of-program activity designed to help students pause, look back, and make meaning of their experiences with the Daily PEGG, Play, Exercise, Gratitude, and Giving. Through a guided worksheet, students reflect on what they enjoyed most, the challenges they faced, and the ways the PEGG has contributed to their mental and physical well-being. This process encourages deeper self-awareness, helping students recognise personal growth, celebrate their achievements, and understand how each component of the PEGG has shaped their attitudes, behaviours, and connections with others.
The activity also prompts students to consider how the lessons learned through the Daily PEGG can be transferred into everyday life to strengthen their well-being and enhance their relationships. Whether students keep their reflections private or choose to share with a partner or the class, the PEGG Reflection creates a supportive environment for vulnerability, connection, and intentional goal setting. It serves as a meaningful conclusion to the PEGG experience, helping students identify insights they can carry forward and empowering them to continue practising play, movement, gratitude, and giving beyond the classroom.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
PEGG Reflection supports equality by:
- Valuing every student’s lived experience, giving all participants an equal opportunity to reflect and share their thoughts without hierarchy.
- Providing multiple access points for reflection, writing, silent processing, paired sharing, ensuring all communication styles and confidence levels are supported.
- Encouraging equal contribution, emphasising that all reflections hold value regardless of background, ability, or personality.
- Creating a non-competitive environment where every student’s growth is recognised, promoting fairness and inclusivity.
Building Healthy Relationships
This activity strengthens healthy relationships by:
- Encouraging vulnerability, allowing students to share honestly about experiences, challenges, and triumphs from the Daily PEGG.
- Developing empathy, as students listen to peers describe what brought them joy, difficulty, or gratitude.
- Promoting positive interactions, where encouragement, support, and understanding are central to the sharing experience.
- Highlighting relational skills, such as expressing appreciation, acknowledging growth, and identifying personal support networks.
Developing Communication Skills
Communication skills grow through:
- Structured reflection, which helps students organise thoughts clearly and express their ideas with purpose.
- Optional peer sharing, where students practise speaking openly and listening respectfully.
- Articulating personal insights, strengthening expressive language and emotional vocabulary.
- Receiving and offering affirming feedback, reinforcing respectful interpersonal communication.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
The PEGG Reflection develops social–emotional capabilities by:
- Strengthening self-awareness, as students identify what they enjoyed, struggled with, and gained from the Daily PEGG.
- Encouraging emotional regulation, helping students understand and process how certain activities made them feel.
- Supporting resilience, through examining how they approached or overcame challenges.
- Promoting gratitude and giving, two key pillars of emotional well-being and positive relationships.
Challenging Stereotypes
This reflection supports stereotype-free thinking by:
- Emphasising that well-being practices are for everyone, regardless of gender, ability, personality, or cultural background.
- Encouraging diverse pathways to success, helping students recognise that people experience growth differently.
- Promoting the idea that vulnerability is a strength, challenging gendered and cultural norms around emotional expression.
- Encouraging openness and authenticity, reinforcing that all students have unique experiences worth acknowledging.
Recognising Rights
PEGG Reflection reinforces students’ rights by:
- Creating a psychologically safe space, emphasising that students choose what to share and what to keep private.
- Respecting autonomy, allowing students to reflect independently and express themselves freely.
- Upholding the right to be heard, giving equal opportunity for participation and valuing each contribution.
- Supporting well-being as a fundamental right, connecting the PEGG activities to overall mental and physical health.
Card Memory Lane
Card Memory Lane is an energetic team-based challenge that blends physical fitness with memory recall and strategic thinking. Inspired by the classic card game “Memory,” players race back and forth across a 20-metre area or court, flipping cards to locate a full suit in ascending order from Ace to King. Each run reveals new information, requiring players to remember card positions, communicate effectively with their teammates, and make quick decisions as the game progresses. The combination of sprinting, static holds, and rapid recall creates a dynamic experience that challenges both the mind and body.
The game encourages teamwork, communication, and endurance as pairs or teams collaborate to retrieve all thirteen cards in sequence. Teammates rely on one another’s observations and memory, building trust and developing a shared strategy to complete the challenge faster than the competing groups. Card Memory Lane brings excitement, movement, and mental engagement together in a highly adaptable format suitable for classrooms, sports groups, well-being sessions, or team-building environments, making it a standout activity for boosting fitness, focus, and fun.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
Card Memory Lane fosters equality by:
- Ensuring equal opportunity for contribution, as every player has a role in remembering card positions and retrieving them.
- Promoting fairness in teamwork, where strategy and communication, not physical advantage, determine success.
- Providing inclusive roles, allowing students with different strengths (memory, running, strategy) to contribute meaningfully.
- Reinforcing that all abilities are valued, creating a balanced team dynamic where cognitive and physical strengths are equally important.
Building Healthy Relationships
This activity strengthens healthy relationships through:
- Shared responsibility, requiring students to rely on one another’s observations and memory for success.
- Encouragement and support, as team members motivate each other through running, static holds, and mental recall.
- Strengthened trust, built through clear communication and reliance on each other’s accuracy.
- Positive interaction, as players celebrate progress, problem-solve together, and navigate challenges in real time.
Developing Communication Skills
Communication skills grow through:
- Strategic information sharing, where students must clearly explain card positions, patterns, and memory cues.
- Active listening, as players must accurately receive and remember what their teammates report.
- Non-verbal coordination, such as gestures or signals supporting efficient teamwork.
- Collaborative problem-solving dialogue, strengthening clarity, patience, and shared understanding.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
The activity supports emotional development by:
- Strengthening self-regulation, as students stay calm under pressure while trying to recall information accurately.
- Building resilience, learning to adapt when mistakes happen or cards are misremembered.
- Enhancing situational awareness, noticing how dynamic teamwork affects performance.
- Supporting empathy, as team members recognise each other’s efforts and challenges during the physical and cognitive demands.
Challenging Stereotypes
Card Memory Lane challenges stereotypes by:
- Highlighting diverse strengths, demonstrating that teamwork involves both physical and cognitive abilities, not limited to stereotypical gender roles.
- Breaking down assumptions about who is “athletic” or “smart”, as the game blends movement, memory, and strategy.
- Reinforcing that success requires collaboration, not dominance or competition between individuals.
- Creating an inclusive platform, where all students, regardless of speed, fitness, or memory ability, can meaningfully contribute.
Recognising Rights
The activity reinforces personal rights by:
- Promoting the right to participate safely, with optional modifications for physical holds and running distances.
- Respecting voice and contribution, as every student has the right to share their observations and be heard.
- Upholding psychological safety, emphasising that mistakes are part of learning and no player is singled out for errors.
- Supporting the right to collaborate on equal footing, ensuring all players are respected as essential team members.
Paddocks Gratitude
Paddocks Gratitude is a thoughtful blend of classic strategy and positive reflection, transforming the well-known game of Dots and Boxes into a meaningful gratitude-sharing experience. As players take turns drawing lines to complete squares on the grid, they must think ahead, plan their moves, and anticipate their partner’s strategy to maximise their score. Each completed square becomes a moment for mindful reflection, with players rolling a dice to answer a gratitude question connected to the colour of the square they claimed. This unique twist elevates the traditional gameplay by encouraging players to pause, reflect, and share something they are grateful for, building a deeper sense of appreciation throughout the session.
The game fosters connection, communication, and a positive social atmosphere as partners listen to one another’s gratitude reflections and celebrate each other’s wins. Paddocks Gratitude encourages a balance of competitive fun and heartfelt conversation, making it a versatile activity for classrooms, well-being programs, counselling sessions, or home environments. Its combination of strategic thinking and meaningful dialogue creates a powerful tool for strengthening relationships, promoting self-awareness, and embedding gratitude in a playful, enjoyable way.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
Paddocks Gratitude supports equality by:
- Providing equal turns and decision-making opportunities, ensuring both players have the same chance to influence the game’s outcome.
- Removing power imbalances, as success is based on strategic thinking rather than physical strength or dominance.
- Valuing emotional expression equally, as both players share gratitude reflections regardless of who is winning.
- Encouraging mutual appreciation, reinforcing that all voices and contributions matter within the partnership.
Building Healthy Relationships
The activity promotes healthy relationship skills by:
- Creating space for positive self-disclosure, allowing players to share meaningful gratitude reflections.
- Strengthening connection through vulnerability, as players listen and respond empathetically to each other’s experiences.
- Increasing trust, developed through respectful turn-taking and shared reflective moments.
- Encouraging warmth and appreciation, fostering a supportive environment between partners.
Developing Communication Skills
Communication skills are strengthened through:
- Active listening, as players must fully attend to each other’s gratitude responses.
- Clear verbal expression, required to articulate reflections meaningfully and sincerely.
- Respectful conversation, built by responding positively to partner reflections and maintaining a kind tone.
- Strategic dialogue, where appropriate, as players may discuss patterns or next moves while still maintaining fairness.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
The game deepens emotional intelligence by:
- Practising gratitude, which improves emotional regulation, resilience, and overall well-being.
- Encouraging self-awareness, as students reflect on the people, experiences, and strengths they appreciate.
- Building empathy, as they hear their partner’s reflections and learn more about their emotional world.
- Supporting perspective-taking, an essential skill for respectful relationships.
Challenging Stereotypes
Paddocks Gratitude challenges stereotypes by:
- Normalising emotional expression for all students, countering outdated beliefs about who should or shouldn't express gratitude.
- Showcasing that strategic thinking is universal, not linked to gender, cultural background, or personality type.
- Balancing logic and emotional reflection, breaking stereotypes that separate “thinking skills” and “feeling skills” into gendered or ability-based categories.
- Promoting inclusiveness, by positioning gratitude and connection as skills everyone can develop.
Recognising Rights
This activity reinforces students’ rights by:
- Honouring the right to speak and be heard, especially during gratitude sharing moments.
- Maintaining psychological safety, as students only share what they are comfortable sharing.
- Promoting the right to respectful interactions, ensuring that gratitude conversations are treated with kindness and validation.
- Encouraging ownership, as players claim squares and express personal reflections with autonomy and confidence.
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