Radical Love Takes the Stage: A Free SEL Confidence Activity for Grades 2–5
Why This SEL Confidence Activity Works for Grades 2–5
Most students have had the experience of doing something good and then having to stand up and talk about it in front of people, which turns out to be an entirely different and considerably more complicated thing. This SEL confidence activity for grades 2–5 is about that moment: when your good work gets seen by the world and you have to decide whether to let your light out or pull it back in.
Shirl's article about R.A.D. Day goes live in the Sydney Morning Herald. By lunchtime the emails are coming in. Channel 7 News wants to feature the kids and their bench. Ray stands near the centre of the group with his stomach doing something complicated. A microphone appears in front of his face. He takes a breath and says what he knows to be true. Then that evening, sitting on the couch with Atlas's head on his knee, he watches himself on television and says: not bad. This activity gives your students a version of that moment.
(The Activity - Step by Step)
1 Set It Up
Tell the class the story:
"Shirl's article about R.A.D. Day goes live in the Sydney Morning Herald with a photo of Ray sitting on the Belonging Bench, giving two thumbs up. By lunchtime, Channel 7 News wants to feature the kids.
The next afternoon, a reporter named Angie arrives with a camera crew. Ray stands near the centre of the group. His stomach is doing something complicated. Angie puts the microphone in front of his face.
Ray takes a breath. He says what he knows to be true: that Radical Love isn't just about feeling kind, it's about doing kind things. That everyone should feel like they belong.
That evening, watching himself on television, Ray sat there for a moment not quite sure what to say. 'Not bad,' he decided.
And Sam, at school the day before the crew arrived, muttered quietly: 'I hope they show the handprints on the bench. That was my idea.'"
Ask: "Has anyone ever done something and then had to stand up and talk about it in front of people? Was the doing easier than the talking about it?"
2 The Radical Love Anthem (main activity)
Play the Ready Ray Go theme song. This is the performance moment. Students stand, move, and sing along. Teach the chorus if they don't know it yet. Let the room be loud.
After the song, each student stands and finishes this sentence out loud, to the whole class, in one sentence:
"One thing I did this year that I'm proud of is..."
No exceptions, no passing. Every student speaks. Keep it fast and keep the energy warm. The teacher goes first.
3 The Curtain Call
After every student has spoken, stand together and take a bow, all of you, at the same time. Ray said it himself: it wasn't just him, it never is, nor is it just one student in your classroom either. Whatever has been built this year was built together, and that deserves a moment of standing up and saying so.
Close with Grandma Leila's words from the chapter: "And now it's spreading farther than we imagined."
Ask: "What do you think you have spread this year that you didn't plan to?"
4 The Anchor
Ask the class while still standing together: "What is one word that describes how you feel right now?"
Go around the room fast, no sentences, just one word each. Let the words fill the air and stay there. No writing, no wall, no sitting down. Just the room holding that feeling together for a moment before the bell goes.
Discussion Questions
Q1
Ray's stomach was doing something complicated before the camera crew arrived. He went ahead anyway. What is the difference between being nervous and being ready?
Q2
Sam said quietly: "I hope they show the handprints on the bench. That was my idea." He didn't shout it. He almost whispered it. What does that tell you about how far Sam has come since the first chapter?
Q3
When the segment ended, Ray said: "Not just me. It was all of us." Why do you think that mattered to him? Why does sharing credit feel important?
Q4
Grandma Leila said it was spreading farther than they imagined. Can you think of something kind you did that ended up going further than you expected?
Counselor Corner
This SEL confidence activity may reveal things other activities miss. The "one thing I'm proud of" sentence starter is deceptively simple and clinically rich. Watch for the student who genuinely cannot think of anything. Not because nothing happened, but because they have a filter that screens out their own contributions as insignificant before they have even named them. That student needs someone to name it for them first.
Watch also for the student who names something very small and apologises for it: "This is probably silly but..." The apology is the clinical signal, not the content. A child who preemptively apologises for their own pride has learned that taking up space is not safe.
Sam's arc across the whole of Book 1 completes here. He went from grabbing Lizzie's sandwich in Chapter 5 to claiming quiet pride in the handprints in Chapter 19. That is not a small journey. For any student in your class who has been the Sam all year, this is the moment to quietly reflect back to them what you have seen change.
From the Book
This activity draws from Chapter 19 of Radical Ray: Australia's Little Champion for Big Change (Book 1) — Radical Love Takes the Stage.
When the segment ended, Ray sat there for a moment not quite sure what to say.
"Not bad," he decided.
Shirl laughed and pulled him into a hug. "You've made such a difference, Ray."
"Not just me," Ray said into her shoulder. "It was all of us."
Grandma Leila reached over and ruffled his hair. "And now it's spreading farther than we imagined."
Atlas put his head on Ray's knee, which seemed like the right thing to do.
You can find Book 1 on Amazon → meetradicalray.com/books
Coming next Friday — Week 20
The Ripples of Radical Love: A Reflection Activity
Weeks have passed since R.A.D. Day and something has shifted at school in ways Ray didn't expect. The Belonging Bench is rarely empty. Teachers are noticing. And Shirl's article has caught the attention of someone Ray never imagined would be reading it.
Students reflect on the ripples they have made this year and where those ripples might go next.
Say Hello!
Bobbi loves to connect with anyone in Ray's world: teachers, counsellors, parents, and kids.
If Ready, Ray, Go! is making a difference in your classroom, she would genuinely love to hear about it. And if you'd like Bobbi to visit your school, in person or via Zoom, she would love that too.
Reach out anytime at admin@meetradicalray.com or find her at meetradicalray.com
Every classroom that meets Ray makes his world a little bigger.
Sing It With Ray, Just Hit Play!🎵
Want to sing along? Download the lyrics here.
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