The School of Play Curriculum
Secondary School
This bonus activity section is packed with 24 game-based learning ideas designed to help educators transform everyday lessons into experiences that students genuinely look forward to. Drawing inspiration from board games, sports, and video games, each activity introduces simple yet powerful mechanics that turn learning into an active, engaging, and energetic experience. These are not just one-off ideas; they’re tried-and-tested approaches that bring subjects to life, encourage participation, and create an environment where students feel excited to be involved.
What makes this collection especially powerful is its flexibility. Alongside each structured activity are blank versions, allowing educators to adapt the core idea to any topic, age group, or learning goal. This opens the door for creativity, allowing teachers to experiment, take risks, and design lessons that truly connect with their students. At its heart, this section is about empowering educators to amplify both learning and well-being, creating classrooms where joy, curiosity, and meaningful engagement are at the centre of every experience.
Weekly Lessons
Cluedo Teacher Hide & Seek
Cluedo Teacher Hide & Seek transforms your classroom into a full-scale mystery where movement, thinking, and teamwork collide. Inspired by the classic Cluedo game, students must uncover three key clues: who the missing teacher is, what item they took, and where they’re hiding by completing challenges at different “rooms” around the space. Each station holds a mix of physical exercises and thinking tasks, unlocking clues only when the team puts in the work, keeping everyone active and engaged from start to finish.
As teams progress, they eliminate possibilities, discuss strategies, and race to solve the mystery before anyone else. The twist? Incorrect guesses come with fitness-based penalties, adding a layer of consequence and intensity to every decision. It’s not just about getting the right answer, but staying focused, working together, and managing both movement and thinking under pressure. With endless ways to adapt the questions and story, this game brings a powerful mix of excitement, problem-solving, and active learning into any lesson.
Emoji Icebreaker & Energiser
Emoji Icebreaker & Energiser is a fast-paced, high-energy game designed to get everyone moving, laughing, and connecting from the very start. Teams race to collect emoji cards, completing a fun activity or exercise linked to each one they pick up. The twist? Every new card adds to their growing list, meaning the challenges stack up as the game goes on. Whether it’s creating a team handshake, sharing a funny story, or powering through quick fitness bursts, the energy builds quickly and keeps everyone fully engaged.
What makes this game stand out is how it blends movement with meaningful interaction. The icebreaker version encourages conversation, storytelling, and team bonding, while the energiser version focuses more on physical activity and momentum. And just when teams think it’s over, they’re challenged to use their collected emojis to create a story, bringing creativity, laughter, and reflection into the mix. It’s simple, adaptable, and
The Entrepreneur Challenge
The Entrepreneur Challenge drops students into a high-stakes, real-world scenario where they’ve each just won one million dollars and must decide how to invest it. With a simple but powerful premise, students step into the role of entrepreneurs researching, planning, and making decisions about what to buy, from businesses and land to vehicles and equipment. Using platforms like online marketplaces, they explore opportunities, evaluate risks, and start shaping their own ventures, all within a structured budget.
What makes this challenge impactful is the focus on thinking like an entrepreneur. Students must manage their money carefully, justify their investments, and aim to generate the highest return possible. As they build their business ideas, they document their decisions, track their spending, and present their outcomes, developing skills in numeracy, critical thinking, and communication. It’s a creative, forward-thinking experience where students don’t just learn about entrepreneurship. They live it, test it, and bring their ideas to life.
Game of Life Classroom/Fitness
Game of Life Fitness is an active twist on the classic life simulation game, blending physical challenges with real-world decision-making. Players begin by choosing a career, which determines their salary, and then move through a game board by rolling dice and landing on different squares that influence both their financial status and their health. Each turn requires players to complete an exercise tied to the square they land on, with outcomes that can either boost or reduce their “money” and “nutrition points.”
The goal is to become the healthiest and wealthiest player by the end of the time limit, combining both financial success and fitness performance into one score. Throughout the game, players encounter a mix of opportunities and setbacks, such as paydays, life choices, and challenges that mirror real-life decisions around work, health, and lifestyle. It’s a high-energy, engaging way to build awareness around balance, resilience, and long-term habits while keeping participants moving and fully involved.
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