Boundaries and Personal Safety What Would You Do? Cards — Think, Choose, Act — cover preview
In the full library

Boundaries and Personal Safety What Would You Do? Cards — Think, Choose, Act

Grades 2–5 · Relationship Skills · What Would You Do? Cards

Between giggles, your little sister gasps, “stop, stop!” These boundaries and personal safety what would you do scenarios start with moments where the student is the one who needs to stop, then build to privacy, saying no, spotting risky si…

PrintView & Print in your browser
Digital activityOne link · no student logins

This resource is in the full SEL Resource Library. See what’s included or start with 10 free resources. Have an account? Log in.

About this resource

Between giggles, your little sister gasps, “stop, stop!” These boundaries and personal safety what would you do scenarios start with moments where the student is the one who needs to stop, then build to privacy, saying no, spotting risky situations and telling a trusted adult. In 40 scenes for Grades 2–5, students choose among three action cards, practicing Relationship Skills.

What students practice

  • Stopping when someone says stop or no
  • Respecting other people’s privacy and personal space
  • Saying no to touch or requests that don’t feel safe
  • Spotting risky situations and staying near their grown-up
  • Telling a trusted adult about unsafe secrets and worries

What’s inside

  • 40 scenario cards across Listening to Stop and No, Respecting Privacy and Personal Space, Saying No to Unsafe Touch or Requests, Spotting Risky Situations and Telling a Trusted Adult
  • 120 action cards: safe, halfway and impulsive
  • 40 reflection sheets
  • Five ways to use the set, with tips for multilevel classrooms; 77 pages

A look inside

  • Hello From Great-Aunt Ruth: she opens her arms for a squeeze, and you don’t feel like hugging. Offer a High Five, Wave From the Hall or Hug Her Anyway?
  • A Ride With Lorenzo: his mom calls, “Hop in, I’ll drive you home today!” but Dad always picks you up.
  • Two Things to Keep Quiet: a birthday poem for Grandma and a ride without a helmet. Keep One, Tell One sorts surprises from secrets.

How to use these boundaries and personal safety what would you do scenarios

  • Role-play Wrestling on the Rug so students practice letting go
  • Discuss Two Things to Keep Quiet before the cards appear
  • Small groups debate the Spotting Risky Situations scenes
  • Use the sheet for A Bedtime Question as a quiet written check-in

Grade fit

Home is the most common setting (17 of 40), then the community (12) and school (11), since that’s where relatives’ hugs, shared bedrooms and backyard games happen. Plain, everyday language suits Grades 2–5 and fits these personal boundaries activities into an SEL or counseling lesson.

Digital version

The interactive digital version shares as one link: students answer the think questions (or just read them in the quick format), choose an action card and say why, on any device with no student logins. At the end they download an answer sheet to hand in.

Good to know

Nothing is graphic; touch scenes are everyday (tickling, a hug hello, a cheek pinch). Every Telling a Trusted Adult scene has a best card that brings in a grown-up. Read The Secret Bracelet and The No-Telling Club ahead of time.

Pairs well with

For more personal safety activities, keep practicing with Personal Space and Boundaries Stop Think Act Cards or the scripted Boundaries and Personal Safety Role Play Scenarios.

Questions teachers ask

Is any of the content graphic?

No. The scenes use everyday situations like tickle games, hugs from relatives and a stranger knocking at the door. When safety is in question, the most helpful card usually involves a trusted adult or staying where one can see you.

Are students always the ones being asked to stop?

No. The first eight scenes have the student respecting someone else’s “stop”; later scenes have the student saying no, staying safe and telling a grown-up.

More for Relationship Skills

See all in the library →

Active Listening and Clear Expression Activity Kit

PremiumPrint

Self-Advocacy Reading Comprehension Passages — Grade 4

PremiumPrint + Digital

Social Skills Reading Comprehension Passages — Grade 4

PremiumPrint + Digital

Tolerance Coloring Pages — Affirmations and Quotes

PremiumPrint

Every resource, one library.

572 SEL resources for elementary classrooms — printables, digital activities and answer sheets, and every new one we add.

Boundaries and Personal Safety What Would You Do? Cards — Think, Choose, Act