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Our schools don't have a motivation problem. We have a design problem.
Many well-being programs feel like another thing to sit through, not something to feel through. They talk about stress, resilience, and regulation, but deliver it through worksheets, lectures, or forced discussions that rarely reach the heart.
That's why we lose students. Why connection feels forced. Why real change doesn't stick.
Play is different. It meets us where we are.
Play builds trust without forcing it. It teaches regulation not through theory, but practice. It lights up brains, unlocks hearts, and makes the hard work of well-being feel like something we want to return to.
This week, we'll show you why play is the starting point. Because when we build well-being from a place of joy and connection, we're not just teaching skills. We're building something that lasts. Let's dive in!
A First Look at The School of Play Curriculum
Most well-being programs feel like extra work. This one does the work for you by making play the engine of learning, connection, and growth.
In this free, live webinar, we're unveiling the world's first full-year play-based well-being program for students from Kindergarten to Secondary School.
Here's what we'll explore:
- The Anatomy of a Lesson: See how each week is designed with videos, learning intentions, success criteria, and step-by-step instructions so educators can teach with zero prep.
- Global Relevance: Learn how every lesson aligns with 10 global education systems, making it adaptable across countries, age groups, and school types.
- What Makes It Work: Get a walkthrough of the curriculum pillars, play, movement, gratitude, and giving, and how they create powerful outcomes for students' mental and emotional health.
- The Proof: Real-world results from pilot schools, backed by La Trobe University research.
WHEN: Tuesday, August 12 | 1 PM AEST
The webinar will be recorded for all registrants. Save your seat now and discover what happens when well-being begins with play!
Daily Mission Cards
Did you know that one smile can rewire the brain?
Today’s mission: challenge kids to make just one person smile or laugh. Beneath the surface, it’s a potent neurological workout.
Kindness releases dopamine and oxytocin, rewiring the brain for empathy and emotional regulation. These micro-moments of joy are powerful for building executive function (the very skills children need to thrive in learning, relationships, and life).
Grab the Kindness & Happiness Deck, and choose one prompt daily from the 54 plastic cards to build better habits for well-being through play!
Emotion Response Practise Cards
Remember a moment when a child feels overwhelmed, frustrated, or tearful after a rough day? Now, imagine you have a tool in your hands to make all those big feelings seem just a little bit smaller. That’s what the Emotion Response Practice Cards offer.
Rooted in the SAFE framework (Sequenced, Active, Focused, Explicit), these cards name emotions and help children walk through them. So, you’re not just giving a child a coping strategy. You’re giving them the skill of resilience.
Sign up HERE to download these cards and start turning emotional chaos into calm!
Alexandra Smith and Oliver Brown – Our young people do not need to be ‘Fixed’ – Our Journey towards Student Agency
Our students don’t need fixing. They need space, voice, and ownership.
In this powerful session, Alexandra Smith and Oliver Brown take us behind the scenes of their shift from a “protect and support” model toward something far more sustainable: student agency.
They’ll share how play, connection, and autonomy now sit at the heart of their approach, where students are seen not as passive recipients of help but as active agents of their well-being.
Perfect for educators, leaders, and well-being coordinators who are ready to reimagine their approach to student support, shifting from compliance to collaboration.
Sign up and watch the talk here!
A Joyful Reset Before the Senior Years
For the fourth year running, we had the absolute privilege of closing out the Year 10 Ignite Day at St George Girls' High School in Sydney last Friday.
Our tailored session brought 160 students together to unwind, have fun, and connect before stepping into their senior years.
Through laughter, movement, and shared experiences, we explored playful and practical strategies to help each student stay on top of their mental and physical well-being as they head into Years 11 and 12.
Thank you for having us back, what a fantastic way to kick off term 3!
Join us on this global journey of joy and connection! If you want to bring The School of Play to your community, fill out the form here ➡
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