Megan Reynolds

Megan Reynolds

I am a teacher & designer. Connecting with students & seeing them enjoy learning is my favorite feeling on earth! I hope you enjoy this article!

2nd Grade Social Emotional Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Social Emotional Choice Board for 2nd Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your 2nd Grade Classroom during Social Emotional you will need to create the Social Emotionalchoices (there are lots of examples), organize the classroom, and have a goal;

Time-saving, differentiation, and dynamic classroom management are my favorite reasons to use a choice board!

Integrating choices every day you will need to hone in on the best way to apply 2nd Grade Social Emotional choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your2nd Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 2nd Grade Social Emotional Choices

Feelings Charades
Feelings Charades: Act out a feeling without talking, and others guess! Happy? Stomp feet for mad? Let’s play and learn feelings!
Gratitude Jar Doodles
Draw happy things you’re thankful for on small papers. Fold them, put them in a jar. We’ll share and smile later!
Kindness Postcard Station
Make a friend smile! Pick a card, draw a happy picture, write a nice message, and put it in our mailbox. Your card will be a hug with words!
Friendship Bracelet Making
Make a bracelet with colorful strings. Tie knots to add beads. Give it to a friend to show you care. It’s fun and shows you’re a good friend!
Compliment Circle Time
Sit in a circle. Take turns saying nice things about the person on your right. Listen, smile, and say “thank you” when it’s your turn. Be kind and have fun!
Mindful Breathing Balloons
Imagine your belly is a balloon. Slowly breathe in to fill it up, hold it, then gently breathe out to empty it. Do this 5 times to feel calm and happy!
Emotion Storytime Corner
Emotion Storytime Corner is a cozy place where we sit, read books about feelings, and talk about our own. It’s like a feelings adventure!
Emotion Weather Report
Draw a sun if you’re happy, clouds if sad, storm if angry, or rainbow if calm. Color your weather to show your feelings today!
Thank You Notes to Friends
Write a note to say thanks! Tell your friend what you liked. Draw a smiley face. Say “Thank you for being my friend!” Use nice words. It makes them happy!

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Social Emotional in a 2nd Grade Classroom

Keep It Simple

Everyone “teacher & student” should know exactly what they are doing. If you don’t make it even easier! 

Differential Instruction vs Saving time?

There is nothing more irritating than “Saving Time” with a Choice Board & ending up with “More work!”.  Are you using this to hit standards or save time or both? 

"Self Guided" or "instruction-based"?

If you giving out work, should they do it on their own or are these more instructions for each choice?

General rule, if the grade is > 3 there is more work per choice.

FREE Blank Fillable & Custom Choice Board

All ages, all grades where you need 9 grid choice board. Start loving learning again! 

How To Manage Your 2nd Grade Classroom During Social Emotional (With a Choice Board)

I find its easiest to use a big board at the front of the classroom where all students can see the choices  then decide what they want to do

This often will be coming in from a break or transition between subjects. 

If you can get all students to know whats expected during a choice activity it becomes one-hundred times easier to manage the class & have everyone know what choices they have!  

There are three core steps you have to hit when using a Choice Board; 

1) The Set Up
2) 
The Instruction 
3) The Q+A 

1) The Set Up

Select your choices, decide on how you are going to use this time in your classroom. Build the choice board

1) The Instruction

Tell the students what they are going to be doing (this becomes easier over time) Simply start with 3 options & move from there. 

1) The Q & A

Does anyone have questions? This will help you or the next time. Remember the goal is to make this easier each time! 

Why Use A Choice Board?

So, let’s chat about choiceboards and why they’re like the coolest thing ever in your classroom. 

Picture this: kiddos bouncing into the room, eyes lighting up because they get to pick their own adventure in learning new words.

 It’s like a mini vocab party, and everyone’s invited!

We all have our own jam, right? Some of us are little artists, others are born performers, and some love to get lost in stories. Choice boards are like a buffet of fun learning snacks, so every munchkin finds something tasty that helps the vocab stick!

And here’s the kicker – when the little ones get to steer the ship, they turn into these mini captains of learning. They’re making the calls, and with every choice, they puff up a bit more with confidence. It’s a win-win – they’re learning and feeling like the boss at the same time.

Plus, for us teachers, it’s like having a secret helper in the room. We get to sprinkle in all sorts of activities that match our students’ levels and what makes their hearts tick. It’s like custom-making a learning playlist that gets every kid grooving to the vocab beat. How cool is that?