Stress and Mental Health What Would You Do? Cards — Think, Choose, Act
“I’ve been grumpy every single day since Monday,” Ines says at lunch.
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- Grades
- 2–5
- What you get
- 40 scenario cards
- Use it
- Print + digitaldigital = one link, no student logins
- Competency
- Self-Management
About this resource
“I’ve been grumpy every single day since Monday,” Ines says at lunch. These stress and mental health what would you do scenarios give Grades 2–5 forty moments when a friend or family member is carrying a feeling that has lasted or a day that is too full. Students answer three think questions, choose one of three action cards and explain it, practicing Self-Management skills and learning when to bring in a trusted grown-up.
What students practice
- Noticing when a big feeling lasts for days
- Accepting that it’s okay not to be okay
- Slowing down a busy, stressful day
- Telling a trusted grown-up when something big happens
- Remembering that hard feelings pass
What’s inside
- A teacher guide with five uses, including counselor-led groups; 77 pages
A look inside
Smiling for the Trip: before a museum trip, Hana whispers, “I’m smiling so nobody asks.” The choices: Drop the Fake Smile, Talk Up the Museum, Smile Along With Her.
How to use these stress and mental health what would you do cards
Grade fit
Each scene is about helping someone else, which gives Grades 2–5 a little distance from a heavy topic. Community settings lead (15, from a farmers market stall to a scout hall), with 14 at school and 11 at home, and the language stays short and concrete.
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
Read ahead before choosing cards: scenes include a sick dog, a family move, a new baby and a family bakery closing. The cards don’t diagnose anything. All eight Telling Someone cards point to a trusted adult, such as a parent, teacher or school counselor, as the most helpful choice, and these coping skills for stress work best alongside your school’s usual support.
Pairs well with
Questions teachers ask
Do students have to share their own feelings?
No. Every scenario has a friend, sibling, cousin or neighbor who is struggling, and students choose how to help. They can bring in their own experiences on the reflection sheets if they choose.
How do the cards handle bigger worries?
The Telling Someone When Something Big Happens subtopic has eight scenarios, and in each the most helpful action brings in a trusted grown-up.
More for Self-Management
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644 SEL resources for elementary classrooms — printables, digital activities and answer sheets, and every new one we add.
