Perspective Taking What Would You Do? Cards — Think, Choose, Act
Is it a 6 or a 9? These perspective taking what would you do scenarios for Grades 2–5 open with a number card lying flat between two kids, where the answer depends on where you sit.
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About this resource
Is it a 6 or a 9? These perspective taking what would you do scenarios for Grades 2–5 open with a number card lying flat between two kids, where the answer depends on where you sit. Across 40 Think, Choose, Act cards, students meet a friend who walks past without waving and a coach who quietly moves them to defense, then choose from three actions and explain what the other person might be thinking.
What students practice
- Noticing that people can see the same thing differently
- Pausing before judging what someone did
- Asking instead of guessing what someone means
- Imagining what another person knows, sees or is dealing with
- Changing a first guess when a new clue appears
What’s inside
- 40 scenario cards in five Social Awareness subtopics: Noticing Different Viewpoints, Pausing Before Judging, Asking Instead of Assuming, Imagining Another Person’s Situation and Updating Your First Guess
- 120 action cards: one looks from the other side, one settles for a half-measure, one jumps to a judgment
- 40 reflection sheets
- Teacher guide; 77 pages
A look inside
- The Wave That Didn’t Come: Zoe walks right past you in the hallway. Action cards: Think of Reasons, Skip Saying Hi, Decide She’s Mad.
- Too Short to See: at the town parade, your little cousin Ivy keeps asking what is so funny.
- The Markers That Stayed Put: you decided Ruby was selfish, then see her markers are all dried out. The best card is Change Your Guess.
How to use these perspective taking what would you do cards
- Classroom Poll on The Ball That Walked Away: why might Felix have put the red ball in his bag?
- Weigh the three cards for Moved to Defense under the document camera
- Act out The Number on the Card and have students switch seats, a literal Perspective Swap
- Five SEL learning stations, including Create Your Own Scenario for a made-up misunderstanding
Grade fit
Most misunderstandings happen in ordinary places: 15 community scenes like a parade or a store line, 14 at school and 11 at home. Students in Grades 2–5 have lived these, so the perspective taking scenarios turn quickly into real talk.
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
These perspective taking activities center on a misunderstanding rather than a hurt feeling, so the best card usually asks a question or checks the facts first.
Pairs well with
Continue with Perspective Taking Scenario Cards or the Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes — Perspective Taking Kit.
Questions teachers ask
How is this different from an empathy set?
These cards focus on what another person thinks, knows or wants and why they acted that way, like a grandma feeling cold by an open car window, rather than on comforting someone who is hurt.
Do students need accounts for the digital version?
No. You share one link, and students open it on any device without logging in.
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