The School of Play Curriculum
Secondary School
Week Three blends high-energy physical activities with gratitude, reflection, and kindness to create a balanced, uplifting learning experience. Students take part in fun fitness challenges that build coordination, focus, and teamwork while also engaging in reflective practices that encourage them to notice the positives in their week. Through creative exercises, shared laughter, and collaborative problem-solving, students strengthen their physical confidence and deepen their sense of connection with classmates.
This week also highlights the importance of gratitude and kindness as foundations for personal growth and well-being. Students reflect on moments they are proud of, share stories of kindness, and set intentions for how they want to show up for themselves and others. Through activities that combine movement, communication, emotional awareness, and playful interaction, Week Three helps students grow physically, socially, and emotionally, supporting them to become kinder, more connected, and more self-aware young people.
Weekly Lessons
One Two Three
One Two Three is a lively, rhythm-based partner game that blends fitness, focus, and fun to energise any session from the very first minute. What begins as a simple counting exercise quickly evolves into a playful challenge as numbers are swapped for actions, clapping, nodding, raising arms, or performing bodyweight movements. Each round becomes progressively more complex, requiring students to stay fully present, think quickly, and synchronise their actions with their partner. This not only sharpens coordination and concentration but also boosts physical activity through light, enjoyable movement.
Beyond the physical challenge, One Two Three is a powerful connection builder that sparks laughter, lowers barriers, and creates a shared sense of joy among participants. With no winners or losers, the focus is entirely on engaging together, encouraging one another, and embracing the inevitable mistakes that make the game even more fun. The game’s flexibility, with fitness variations, creative movement substitutions, and opportunities for students to lead, makes it suitable for all ages and settings. One Two Three sets a positive tone for any class, workshop, or keynote, instantly fostering social connection, boosting mood, and preparing students for a collaborative, energetic learning experience.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
One, Two, Three supports students to:
- Promote equal participation, as every pair performs the same sequence of movements and actions, regardless of fitness level or physical ability.
- Value individual differences, recognising that everyone can contribute at their own pace while still participating fully in the shared routine.
- Create an inclusive atmosphere where success is measured by connection, effort, and fun rather than physical perfection or competition.
Building Healthy Relationships
One, Two, Three helps students to:
- Strengthen peer-to-peer relationships, as pairs must work closely together through synchronised movements and shared moments of laughter.
- Develop trust, relying on one another to stay attentive, coordinated, and responsive throughout each round.
- Build a sense of togetherness, using fun, simple actions to create instant connection and break down social barriers at the start of a session.
Developing Communication Skills
One, Two, Three encourages students to:
- Communicate clearly, verbally and non-verbally, as they coordinate movements and keep pace with their partner.
- Practise active listening, tuning in closely to their partner’s rhythm, cues, timing, and reactions.
- Strengthen non-verbal communication, particularly in the later rounds where gestures replace spoken numbers, requiring focus and attentiveness.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
One, Two, Three supports students to:
- Develop emotional awareness, noticing their own reactions to challenge, laughter, mistakes, or fast-paced pressure.
- Build resilience, recognising that errors are part of the game and learning to laugh them off and reset quickly.
- Enhance coordination and focus under pressure, balancing physical movement with mental attention.
- Foster joy and well-being, using play and exercise to boost mood, reduce stress, and begin the session positively.
Challenging Stereotypes
One, Two, Three helps students to:
- Challenge stereotypes about who participates confidently in physical activities, showing that fitness games can be enjoyable and accessible for all students.
- Break down gendered expectations about coordination, rhythm, or expressiveness by encouraging all participants to clap, nod, raise arms, or move with enthusiasm.
- Promote inclusive movement, normalising playful physical expression for every student.
Recognising Rights
One, Two, Three empowers students to:
- Understand their right to feel safe and included, participating without fear of judgment or embarrassment.
- Express themselves freely, knowing the focus is on connection and enjoyment rather than performance.
- Recognise their right to participate fully, with the game adaptable to different fitness needs and comfort levels.
- Feel accepted, as laughter, shared mistakes, and collective joy create an environment where everyone belongs.
Weekly Celebration
Weekly Celebration is a simple but powerful reflective routine that encourages participants to pause, acknowledge the good in their lives, and cultivate a mindset grounded in gratitude. Through four guided prompts, individuals look back on their week to identify the best moment they experienced, an act of kindness they offered, something they did to add value to their own life, and one thing they are looking forward to. This process helps students build emotional awareness and develop a consistent gratitude practice, reinforcing positive thinking and personal growth in a gentle, accessible way.
Beyond personal reflection, Weekly Celebration also strengthens group connection and well-being when shared in classrooms, workplaces, or families. Whether completed privately or discussed together, the activity fosters mindfulness, boosts morale, and encourages participants to recognise the positive impact they have on themselves and others. By ending the reflection with a future focus, Weekly Celebration promotes optimism and forward planning, helping individuals carry a sense of purpose and positivity into the week ahead. It’s a meaningful ritual that builds emotional resilience, connection, and a stronger sense of community.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
Weekly Celebration supports students to:
- Promote equal opportunity for reflection, giving every student the same structured space to recognise the positives in their lives.
- Value each person’s experiences, reinforcing that everyone’s joys, achievements, and moments of kindness, big or small, are meaningful and worthy of acknowledgment.
- Create an inclusive emotional environment, where diverse experiences are celebrated equally, without judgment or hierarchy.
Building Healthy Relationships
Weekly Celebration helps students to:
- Strengthen connections, especially when reflections are shared in pairs or groups, helping students understand one another on a deeper level.
- Build kindness and empathy, through recognising their acts of kindness and appreciating the good in others.
- Foster a supportive group culture, where students celebrate wins, progress, and positive moments together each week.
Developing Communication Skills
Weekly Celebration encourages students to:
- Express their thoughts clearly, using spoken or written reflection to articulate meaningful experiences from the week.
- Practise active listening, especially when peers share their weekly highlights, goals, or acts of kindness.
- Communicate with sincerity and positivity, strengthening their ability to discuss personal experiences respectfully and meaningfully.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
Weekly Celebration supports students to:
- Increase emotional awareness, recognising what brought them joy, growth, or gratitude throughout the week.
- Build mindfulness, taking intentional time to pause and reflect on their emotions, choices, and behaviour.
- Develop resilience, acknowledging both challenges and successes while focusing on what added value to their lives.
- Strengthen future motivation, as they identify something to look forward to and create positive anticipation for the upcoming week.
Challenging Stereotypes
Weekly Celebration helps students to:
- Normalise emotional reflection, challenging stereotypes that suggest young people, particularly boys or certain peer groups, shouldn’t talk about gratitude, joy, or positive experiences.
- Celebrate diversity of emotional expression, showing that everyone reflects differently and all forms of positivity are valid.
- Break down stereotypes around what “counts” as success or growth, highlighting that acts of kindness and small improvements matter.
Recognising Rights
Weekly Celebration empowers students to:
- Understand their right to wellbeing, giving them permission to slow down and reflect on what helps them feel happy and grounded.
- Recognise their right to be valued, as the activity affirms every student’s experiences, efforts, and contributions.
- Feel safe to express their emotions, knowing reflections are encouraged, respected, and sometimes shared in supportive environments.
- Exercise their right to personal growth, using the routine structure to set intentions and look forward with hope and positivity.
Dice Spinner
Dice Spinner is a fast-paced, high-energy game designed to ignite quick thinking, laughter, and teamwork right from the start. Whether used as a connection starter or a fitness-focused challenge, the game encourages players to think on their feet as they race to be the first to roll a one. The competitive yet playful format keeps everyone engaged, with each round offering new opportunities for interaction, humour, and friendly rivalry. In the team-building version, the winner of each round sparks conversation by asking a get-to-know-you question, helping to deepen social connections and create a fun, positive atmosphere.
In the fitness version, Dice Spinner transforms into an active workout that blends physical movement with fast reaction times. Players who don’t roll a one complete exercises such as spins, burpees, or other movements that gradually increase in intensity, making the game both physically challenging and exhilarating. Across both versions, the game promotes teamwork, healthy competition, and supportive group dynamics as players cheer one another on. Dice Spinner is versatile, inclusive, and adaptable for any age group, ideal for energising a classroom, warming up a workshop, or adding movement and fun to any group session.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
Dice Spinner supports students to:
- Promote equal participation, as every player has the same role, the same dice, and the same opportunity to roll first in each round.
- Reinforce fairness, making success dependent on chance, focus, and effort rather than physical strength, popularity, or social confidence.
- Create inclusive engagement, with movement options adaptable to all fitness levels and personal abilities, ensuring everyone can participate meaningfully.
Building Healthy Relationships
Dice Spinner helps students to:
- Strengthen teamwork, as players celebrate wins, encourage teammates, and support each other through the fast-paced rounds.
- Foster positive social interaction, especially in the icebreaker version where players answer questions that build understanding, connection, and rapport.
- Develop trust and group cohesion, as the shared excitement, laughter, and collective movement help break down social barriers.
Developing Communication Skills
Dice Spinner encourages students to:
- Communicate clearly and confidently, especially when calling “stop,” answering reflection questions, or discussing team strategies.
- Practise active listening, engaging respectfully with teammates’ stories, opinions, or answers to the winning player’s question.
- Express themselves openly, sharing personal insights or preferences during the icebreaker version in a supportive team environment.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
Dice Spinner supports students to:
- Develop emotional regulation, staying calm under pressure while rolling rapidly or competing to be first.
- Build self-awareness, noticing how they respond to excitement, competition, and brief moments of disappointment when others win the round.
- Show empathy and encouragement, supporting teammates during movement rounds and interacting positively during question-sharing.
- Strengthen resilience, handling quick turnarounds, resetting after losses, and engaging enthusiastically in each new round.
Challenging Stereotypes
Dice Spinner helps students to:
- Challenge stereotypes about competition, showing that anyone can win since success is based on chance and focus rather than typical athletic or academic strengths.
- Break down assumptions around physical ability, with movement challenges designed to be inclusive and adaptable.
- Normalise expressive communication, encouraging all students to share insights, fears, favourites, or interests, challenging any stereotype that certain groups shouldn’t speak openly.
Recognising Rights
Dice Spinner empowers students to:
- Understand their right to be safe and included, participating fully regardless of ability, coordination, or confidence.
- Recognise their right to fair play, as all players follow the same rules, conditions, and opportunities throughout the game.
- Feel accepted, especially during the sharing component where each player’s answers contribute to a supportive, connected team environment.
- Exercise their right to participate joyfully, with both versions encouraging laughter, movement, and positive engagement.
Well-being Skittles
Well-being Skittles is a beautifully simple and heartfelt activity that uses colour-coded prompts to spark meaningful conversations about kindness. Each Skittle becomes a gateway to a personal reflection, inviting students to share moments when they felt loved, times when they helped others, acts of kindness they’ve witnessed, and even situations where they chose kindness despite challenges. The colourful, playful nature of the game helps create a safe and supportive environment where participants feel comfortable opening up, fostering empathy, understanding, and emotional awareness. It transforms a small lolly into a powerful tool for connection and reflection.
The activity also encourages students to look ahead and commit to practising kindness in their daily lives. Whether sharing a smile, offering help, or showing compassion in difficult moments, each student leaves with a renewed intention to be kind and make a positive impact. The collective sharing creates a ripple effect, listening to others’ experiences inspires students to recognise the power of kindness within their own actions. Well-being Skittles is accessible, uplifting, and suitable for all ages, making it a perfect activity for classrooms, staff groups, families, or any setting wanting to build a more caring and connected community.
Respectful Relationships
Understanding & Promoting Equality
Well-being Skittles supports students to:
- Promote equal voice and contribution, as every student takes a Skittle and shares a story that holds equal value regardless of background, confidence, or social status.
- Reinforce that kindness belongs to everyone, showing that giving and receiving kindness is not limited by age, gender, personality, or ability.
- Create an inclusive, non-judgemental environment, where all reflections about kindness, big or small, are recognised as meaningful.
Building Healthy Relationships
Well-being Skittles helps students to:
- Deepen connections, as students share personal stories about kindness that reveal emotions, experiences, and meaningful moments.
- Strengthen empathy and understanding, learning how others feel, struggle, support, and uplift one another through acts of kindness.
- Build a warm and supportive group atmosphere, where encouragement, gratitude, and emotional safety become part of the shared experience.
Developing Communication Skills
Well-being Skittles encourages students to:
- Practise thoughtful verbal expression, explaining their experiences in clear, personal, and reflective ways linked to each Skittle colour.
- Listen actively, giving full attention to peers’ stories and responding with empathy and respect.
- Develop confidence in sharing personal moments, improving their ability to communicate feelings and values openly.
Enhancing Social & Emotional Intelligence
Well-being Skittles supports students to:
- Increase emotional awareness, recognising the different emotions tied to giving, receiving, or witnessing kindness.
- Build empathy, as they reflect on times someone was kind to them or consider kindness toward someone who was unkind.
- Strengthen moral and ethical awareness, understanding the impact of their behaviours on others.
- Promote positive action, encouraging students to commit to future acts of kindness and reflect on how those actions make a difference.
Challenging Stereotypes
Well-being Skittles helps students to:
- Challenge stereotypes about kindness, such as the belief that kindness is a “soft” or “weak” behaviour, instead showing it as a strength.
- Break gendered expectations, reinforcing that kindness is a universal human quality and everyone is capable of compassionate action.
- Highlight that courage and kindness are connected, especially when discussing being kind to someone who isn’t kind in return.
Recognising Rights
Well-being Skittles empowers students to:
- Understand their right to give and receive kindness, recognising that everyone deserves compassion, respect, and care.
- Express their emotions safely, sharing personal stories within a supportive environment.
- Feel valued and heard, knowing their experiences and reflections are welcomed and appreciated by the group.
- Recognise their right to a positive community, where kindness is practised, encouraged, and celebrated.
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