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Middle School SEL Choice Boards – Tic-Tac-Toe Set

Nine SEL categories arranged in a tic-tac-toe grid give middle schoolers a choice of reflection, kindness, and mindfulness tasks, with three separate boards offering fresh prompts for repeat use.
Grades
Grades 5–8, Middle School, Elementary
Pages
3
File type
PDF
Preparation
Print ready

Updated Nov 21, 2023

Subject
Special Resources, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Special Education Needs (SEN), Social Skills
Topic
sel, social emotional learning
Resource types
Activities
Preparation
Print ready

About this resource

What's inside this resource

In this resource, you will receive 3 different middle school social emotional choice boards. The handout is designed for students to try and get a tic tac toe or multiple tic tac toes, depending on which sel activities they choose. There are 9 categories; 5 of which come from the CASEL framework. The categories are; self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, decision-making skills, mindfulness, kindness, gratitude, and giving. Some of the examples are; text or write a gratitude note to 3 different people, what are the things you are most passionate about, name a time you had to wait for something you really wanted-what helped you wait, go on a walk in nature and look for all of the colors of the rainbow, bake or cook for someone else-perhaps to a friend or neighbor in need, name 3 types of peer pressure-how can you respond responsibly, write down or draw all of the things necessary to actively listen to someone, draw how you feel right now, sit with someone new at lunch-ask 3 open-ended questions, think about your own community-what is something that needs to change, write down 3 strengths and personal goals, name 3 ways you can be safe and responsible on social media, this week tell your parents 3 things you are grateful about them, if you were to choose an animal that is like you-which one would you choose and why, name 3 ways you managed strong emotions this week, what are 3 responsible decisions you have made this week, donate to an organization of your choice-which one was it and what did you donate, give up one hour of your time to help someone out-what did you do, name 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel, 2 things you smell and 1 thing you tast, and many more activities.

Middle schoolers love choices and this product is a wonderful addition to any school counselor's resources or any middle school teacher's classroom activities.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Practice self-reflection and self-expression across each of the five CASEL competency areas

  • Choose and complete independent SEL activities addressing gratitude, kindness, giving, and mindfulness

  • Record personal reflections in writing over time using a journal

Teaching tips

  • Rotate the three boards across separate weeks or units so returning students always face fresh prompts under the same nine categories.

  • Pair the choice board with a brief journal check-in, since several prompts (e.g., 'name 3 ways you managed strong emotions this week') ask students to reflect on a full week rather than answer in the moment.

  • Offer this as an independent option during advisory or homeroom time, since prompts require no teacher-led instruction to complete.

Skills covered

  • Self-awareness — reflecting on personal strengths, goals, and feelings in writing or drawing

  • Self-management — identifying strategies used to manage strong emotions over a week

  • Social awareness — practicing perspective-taking through prompts like sitting with someone new or noticing how others feel

  • Relationship skills — recalling and describing how a real conflict or helping situation was handled

  • Responsible decision-making — evaluating choices around peer pressure and social media safety

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How many boards are included, and can they be reused?

Three separate boards are included, each using the same nine categories but different individual prompts, so students can complete a new tic-tac-toe each time without repeating a task.

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

  • CASEL framework

  • self-awareness

  • self-management

  • social awareness

  • relationship skills

  • responsible decision-making

  • mindfulness

  • gratitude

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