Would Your Lesson Pass the Disney Ride Test?

If your lesson were a Disney ride would students wait in line for it? It’s a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.

At Disney, people, myself included, will willingly wait 60, 90, even 120 minutes, for an experience they’re excited about. Kids, adults, entire families standing in line, anticipating what’s coming next. But in school? We sometimes struggle to keep students engaged for 10 minutes. So what’s the difference?

It’s not magic. It’s design. And more importantly, it’s people.

The Disney Ride Test

Here’s the idea:

If your lesson were a ride at a Disney park, would students:

• Be excited to start?

• Stay engaged the entire time?

• Want to do it again?

If the answer is no, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong, it just means there’s an opportunity to design the experience differently.

1. Anticipation Matters

At Disney, the experience starts long before the ride. There’s storytelling, music, visuals something that pulls you in and makes you curious. In the classroom, that’s your hook. Are we jumping straight into directions or are we building curiosity first? Even a simple question, scenario, or connection can shift a lesson from: “What are we doing?” to “Oh, this is interesting.”

2. There’s No Dead Time

Disney is brilliant at this. Even while you’re waiting, you’re not really waiting. There are interactive elements, themed environments, things to notice and explore. In schools, transitions are where we often lose students.

Those in-between moments matter:

• Passing out materials

• Moving between activities

• Waiting for others

The more intentional we are with those moments, the more engaged students stay.

3. The Experience Has to Deliver

A great ride isn’t just something you sit through, it’s something you experience.

The same is true for learning.

Are students:

• Participating?

• Thinking?

• Creating?

Or are they mostly listening? Engagement doesn’t come from more content it comes from more connection and interaction.

4. Emotion Drives Engagement

Think about your favorite Disney ride. You don’t just remember what happened, you remember how it made you feel. The same is true for students.

Lessons that connect to:

• Feelings

• Real-life experiences

• Personal reflection

are the ones that stick. This is why Social Emotional Learning is so powerful. It gives students a reason to care.

5. Educators Are the Cast Members

Here’s the part I keep coming back to:

At Disney, it’s not just the rides that make the experience magical it’s the Cast Members.

They:

• Set the tone

• Create the atmosphere

• Respond to needs in real time

• Make each guest feel seen

That’s exactly what educators do every single day. We’re not just delivering content we’re:

• Creating environments

• Building relationships

• Adjusting in the moment

• Noticing when something feels off

• 
  

Just like Cast Members, we have the power to turn an ordinary moment into something meaningful.

The Real Question

So maybe the question isn’t just:

“Would my lesson pass the Disney Ride Test?”

Maybe it’s:

“How can I design this experience so students want to be part of it?”

Bringing It Into Your Classroom

This doesn’t mean every lesson has to be over-the-top.

But it does mean being intentional about:

• How we start

• How we engage

• How we connect

Because when students feel something they remember it.

If you’re ready to create lessons that students don’t just complete but truly connect with Storybook SEL brings storytelling and social emotional learning together in a meaningful way. Designed to be engaging, reflective, and easy to implement, these lessons help students build the skills they need while staying fully invested in the experience. Browse the Storybook SEL lessons located under resources and find ready-to-use activities your students will actually connect with.

RIP Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, next time this ride is brought to you by chaos and Kermit