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March 11, 2025

Engaging Learning Through Play

The Science Behind The Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards

Dr. Olivia Ashton Stull

When students engage in structured play-based learning, they’re not just having fun—they’re learning about themselves while strengthening executive functioning and group cohesion. The Be Kind People Project’s Classroom Activity Cards were designed with these principles in mind, ensuring that educators have an easy, flexible way to integrate meaningful skill-building into their classrooms.

The Core Deck Volume 1 of our Classroom Activity Cards is built on a foundation of research and real-world testing. Each activity has been carefully vetted across diverse age groups and settings, then hand-selected by a Doctor of Psychology for its ease of use, effectiveness, and empirical support. Whether teachers need a seamless classroom transition, an engaging group challenge, or a meaningful personal reflection, these evidence-based cards offer a practical and impactful solution.

The Three-Tiered Structure: Accessibility for All

The Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards are structured into three levels to accommodate different learning styles, energy levels, and cognitive or physical abilities:

  • Gentle Activities: These activities provide a softer, more accessible approach to engagement, making them ideal for students who thrive with lower-energy tasks or need confidence-building experiences. Designed to be welcoming and supportive, these cards feature simpler questions and light, approachable discussions, allowing students to participate comfortably without feeling overwhelmed.
  • Balanced Activities: These are the core activities in the deck, designed to meet a variety of learning needs with an engaging mix of movement, discussion, and cognitive challenges. They provide a middle-ground experience that works well for most students.
  • Challenging Activities: Typically fast-paced and designed to push cognitive and physical engagement, these activities are perfect for students who thrive on challenge. While they feature more complex discussion questions, they are intentionally tiered—starting with lighter, more accessible prompts before progressing to deeper challenges. This flexibility allows you to adapt the activity to your students’ needs, engaging them at the right level while maintaining the option to skip the most advanced questions if needed.

This tiered structure ensures that all students can participate meaningfully, while teachers can adjust activities to match classroom dynamics. Each activity is available in all three tiers—so, for example, the scavenger hunt-based activity appears as “Classroom Scavenger Hunt” in the Gentle version, “Nature Scavenger Hunt” in the Balanced version, and “Nature Scavenger Sprint” in the Challenging version.

We intentionally left off age ranges, as these cards can be used flexibly across different classrooms and settings. They’re designed to meet your students’ needs in the moment—whether they need an energizing or mental challenge (Challenging), a chance to slow down and reflect (Gentle), or just a quick brain break (Balanced).

Psychological and Educational Principles Behind the Activities

Each activity in the deck is rooted in well-researched psychological and educational principles that enhance learning, engagement, and character development. Here are just a few of the key scientific concepts embedded in the cards:

1. Gamifying Learning to Enhance Engagement

Educational research consistently supports gamification as a way to increase motivation and engagement (Laremenko, 2017; Liu et al., 2016; Perry, 2015), as well as learning achievement (Berns et al., 2016; Bustillo et al., 2017; Castaneda & Cho, 2016; Hung, 2017; Paloma-Duarte et al., 2016; Purgina et al., 2019). Many of our Activity Cards incorporate game-like elements that reinforce positive behaviors and skill development in an engaging way.

2. Building Group Cohesion Through Collaboration

Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) emphasizes that children learn primarily through observation and social interaction. Activities like BFF: Be Fast Friends! and Shape Charades provide structured opportunities for students to engage with peers, fostering meaningful connections while strengthening essential interpersonal skills. Additionally, each activity card includes group discussion questions designed to deepen students’ understanding of different perspectives, further enhancing their social development.

3. Strengthening Executive Functioning

Executive functioning skills, such as impulse control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, are essential for academic and personal success (Diamond, 2013). Activities like True or False? and Let’s MOVE incorporate structured decision-making, response inhibition, and task-switching to enhance these abilities in students.

4. Teaching Emotional Awareness and Self-Regulation

Emotional intelligence, which includes understanding emotions and self-regulation, is essential for personal growth and social success (Goleman, 1995). Activities like Act It Out! and Breathe Deep offer students structured opportunities to recognize, express, and manage their emotions in a supportive environment. By engaging in these activities, students build self-awareness and emotional resilience, equipping them with valuable skills for navigating life’s challenges.

5. Developing an Understanding of What’s In and Out of Their Control

The True or False? activity incorporates an “In/Out of Control” hands-on reflection exercise, helping students distinguish between aspects of life they can influence and those they cannot. Research shows that a strong internal locus of control is linked to resilience and stress management (Rotter, 1966).

Supplemental Handouts: Enhancing Accessibility and Engagement

In addition to the Classroom Activity Cards, we offer a range of supplemental handouts that further increase accessibility and engagement. These resources, available through a QR code printed on the introductory card in the deck (or by clicking here), include:

  • Student Companion Printouts: Designed to support independent engagement, these handouts provide visual cues and structured guidance for activities such as the Pledge Reflection Session and Nature Scavenger Hunt.
  • Teacher Companion Printouts: Additional materials to help educators easily facilitate group discussions, modify activities, and integrate learning extensions.
  • Bonus Activities: Printable exercises like Super Breathing: Your Body’s Secret Power! and How to Make a Glitter Jar reinforce key concepts covered in the Activity Cards.

Bringing Meaningful Play into the Classroom

The Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards aren’t just a deck of fun exercises—they’re a dynamic toolkit designed to foster kindness, sharpen executive functioning, and strengthen social connections through play. With minimal prep and endless flexibility, they effortlessly enhance any classroom, transforming transitions into moments of focus, brain breaks into meaningful resets, and lessons into dynamic, hands-on experiences. Our Activity Cards were designed to meet students where they are at in order to turn everyday moments into opportunities for engagement and connection.

The only question left is: which card will you draw first?

The Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards are available as a part of The BE KIND School™ – our flagship year-round character education program.

Learn more about how your school can become a “BE KIND School”
Related Articles
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    Many of the challenges ADHD students face—impulse control, working memory, and emotional regulation—are the same executive functioning skills strengthened by the Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards. This article explores concrete strategies to support ADHD learners, making it a perfect companion to further improve your work with neurodivergent students.
  • Why Some Days Feel Impossible… And What to Do About It – Coming Soon
    Ever wonder why some students seem to hit a wall over the smallest frustration? The Window of Tolerance explains why stress can shut down engagement—and how you can spot the signs before a student reaches that point. By recognizing when a student is dysregulated, you’ll know exactly when to introduce a brain break, movement activity, or breathing exercise from the Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards to help them reset and refocus. This article breaks down how stress impacts learning and how simple, well-timed interventions can make all the difference.
Related Content
  • How to Make a Glitter Jar! (FREE Be Kind Break Account required – Register Now)
    Many of the Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards focus on emotional regulation and executive functioning—just like this hands-on activity! A glitter jar gives students a concrete, visual way to practice self-soothing, making it a great addition to your toolkit for helping kids reset and refocus.
  • Super Breathing: Your Body’s Secret Power! (FREE Be Kind Break Account required – Register Now)
    Several activities in the Be Kind Classroom Activity Cards encourage deep breathing as a simple yet powerful tool for self-regulation. This activity teaches students exactly how to use their breath to manage stress, improve focus, and stay in control of their emotions—making it a perfect complement to the cards.
References

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall.

Berns, A., Palomo-Duarte, M., Arevalo, I., & Garcia, R. (2016). Using a 3D online game to assess students’ foreign language acquisition and communicative competence. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 19(2), 87–99.

Bustillo, J., Rivera, D., Guzmán, J., & Acosta, A. (2017). Benefits of using a gamified learning activity to improve long-term memory retention. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 55(3), 366–390. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633116663198

Castañeda, D. A., & Cho, M. H. (2016). Use of Facebook in higher education: Do students want this? Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 8(3), 357–374. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-06-2015-0042

Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.

Hung, A. C. Y. (2017). The gamification of learning: A review of definitions, methods, and effects on motivation and learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(5), 817–838. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-017-9476-1

Laremenko, N. (2017). Gamification as an effective tool for increasing student motivation and engagement in learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 12(11), 99–108.

Liu, D., Li, X., & Santhanam, R. (2016). Digital games and beyond: What happens when players compete? MIS Quarterly, 40(2), 473–502. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2016/40.2.07

Palomo-Duarte, M., Berns, A., Dodero, J. M., & Cejas, R. (2016). Analyzing the impact of a serious game for foreign language acquisition on behavioral patterns. Computers & Education, 102, 124–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.07.005

Perry, B. (2015). Gamifying French language learning: A case study examining a quest-based, augmented reality mobile learning-tool. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 41(3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.21432/T2V90B

Purgina, M., Mozgaleva, M., & Cowan, B. R. (2019). Gamification in e-learning: Applications and challenges. Journal of Computer-Assisted Learning, 35(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12314

Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 80(1), 1-28.

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