Welcome to a play-based curriculum for 3–5s
The Kindergarten curriculum is twenty weeks of intentional play designed for educators working with three- to five-year-olds in long-day care, sessional kindergarten, pre-prep and three-year-old programs. It runs the same five-lesson shape every week: an Overview video, a Play game, a Written game (drawing / mark-making for this age), an Exercise game and a Gratitude ritual.
You do not need a script. The program is built so a relief educator could pick it up cold and run a beautiful session. Trust the rhythm, it is what makes the play-based outcomes stick.
How it maps to the EYLF, VEYLDF and the National Quality Standard
Every Kindergarten lesson is mapped against three Australian early-childhood frameworks. The Standards Mapping page on this curriculum lists every code and outcome for every lesson, copy them straight into your QIP or program plan.
- EYLF v2.0 Outcomes 1 (Identity), 3 (Wellbeing), 4 (Learning) and 5 (Communication) sit at the heart of every weekly bundle.
- VEYLDF practice principles, High Expectations, Respectful Relationships, Reflective Practice, line up directly with the program’s educator stance.
- NQS Quality Areas 1 (Educational Program), 3 (Physical Environment) and 5 (Relationships) are evidenced through the play, exercise and gratitude lessons respectively.
- CASEL 5 SEL competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making) are referenced in age-appropriate language.
Your first week, hour-by-hour
Three- to five-year-olds love repetition. Run the same shape every week and you will watch them anticipate Friday’s gratitude bell by week three. The simplest possible delivery model:
- Monday morning circle, watch the 2-minute Overview together. Sit close. Use the language the video uses.
- Monday or Tuesday outdoor session, run the Play game (10–15 min). Outdoor first if you can; the bodies need to move before the brain settles.
- Wednesday or Thursday quiet time, drop in the Written game. For non-writers this is drawing, dictation, or symbol-marking.
- Any morning, the Exercise game as a transition between rooms, or after a long sit.
- Friday end-of-day, the Gratitude ritual. Three minutes is enough. A bell, a circle, a name each.
Bringing families along
Kindergarten families want to know what is happening but rarely have time to read a long newsletter. The program ships with a parallel Family Guide (you can hand them a print copy from this site) and a single weekly conversation starter you can paste into your weekly note: "Ask your child about the Play game this week."
Designed for the transition to school
Continuity matters. The Kindergarten curriculum uses the same five-lesson rhythm as Foundation–Grade 2, so children who do both arrive at school already fluent in the shape of a week. Foundation teachers report they spot the difference immediately, children who have done a year of School of Play arrive with vocabulary for feelings, settled circle-time habits and an instinct for gratitude.
For three-year-olds vs five-year-olds
Every game ships with a "younger / older" prompt. With threes, expect to run the same game twice in a session, the first round is learning, the second is play. With fives, watch for the question "can we make it harder?", say yes and let them invent the variation. That is the program working.
When a game does not land
Three near-universal fixes:
- Drop the words. Run the game once with no instructions other than "watch and copy". The video does the heavy lifting.
- Move it outside. Most flat sessions are flat because the floor is too small for the bodies in the room.
- Repeat next week. Three- to five-year-olds learn by repetition. A game that flopped in week 3 often lands as a favourite by week 5.
Questions about the curriculum
Email support@theschoolofplay.co or open the chat on the home page. We can help with anything to do with running the program, from a tricky week’s lesson order to bulk licensing for your service.
