Physical Education · Grades 9 to 12

Health SEL activities

18 ready to use activities that teach Health content and build one Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skill, about 20 minutes each.

Mental, Emotional, and Social Health

• The Weather Inside Self-awareness · Week 1Students use a weather report metaphor to sort an imagined student's stressors into home, school, and peer categories and name the feelings each one might bring.
• Toolbox for Tough Days Self-management · Week 2Students try three quick coping strategies in class, compare how well each might work in different situations, and pack a personal coping toolbox.
• Who's in My Corner? Responsible decision-making · Week 3Students map the trusted adults and school resources around an imagined teen, decide when a situation calls for help, and script how to start the conversation.
• Green Flags, Red Flags Social awareness · Week 4Students read short texts between imagined friends and family members, sort behaviors into green flags and red flags, and explain how each one feels from the other person's side.
• Lines I Draw Relationship skills · Week 5Students learn the three parts of a clear boundary statement and practice saying boundaries in everyday situations like borrowing, group chats, and time.
• Blueprint for a Kinder Campus Social awareness · Week 6Students walk an imagined school day through the eyes of different students, spot moments where someone could feel left out, and design small actions that build a respectful campus.

Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Personal Health

• Why I Reach for That Snack Self-awareness · Week 7Students sort the internal and external influences behind an imagined teen's food choices across a day and notice how mood, hunger, and surroundings shape eating.
• Snack Swap Pitch Relationship skills · Week 8Partners compare two snack labels, choose a swap that offers more nutrients, and practice pitching it to a friend in a way that is helpful, not judgmental.
• Recharge Mode Self-management · Week 9Students learn how much sleep teens need, diagnose what is draining an imagined teen's sleep battery, and build a realistic wind down plan.
• Behind the Highlight Reel Social awareness · Week 10Students compare an imagined influencer's polished posts with what likely happened off camera and discuss how feeds can shape how teens feel about themselves and others.
• Fact or Fad? The Claim Detective Responsible decision-making · Week 11Students use a simple claim checklist to test six imagined health and fitness ads and decide which claims are trustworthy, questionable, or myths.
• Small Steps, Real Goals Self-management · Week 12Students identify common barriers to healthy eating and activity, then write a SMART goal with if then plans that get around those barriers.

Safety, Substances, and Community Health

• Say It Like You Mean It Relationship skills · Week 13Students learn four refusal strategies and rehearse them with imagined pressure scenarios, focusing on clear words, confident body language, and keeping the friendship.
• Everybody's Doing It? Check the Data Social awareness · Week 14Students guess what percent of high schoolers vape, compare their guess with national survey data, and discuss how believing everybody does it creates pressure.
• Behind the Flavor: Decoding Vape Marketing Responsible decision-making · Week 15Students analyze imagined vape ads for the techniques used to target teens, connect them to financial and legal influences, and choose strategies to resist them.
• Safe Moves Playbook Self-awareness · Week 16Students notice the feelings that can lead to risky choices in sports, social events, and cars, then build a playbook of injury prevention moves for each setting.
• Upstander Decision Map Responsible decision-making · Week 17Students walk imagined bystanders through a decision map for dangerous situations, weighing options and choosing safe ways to report to a trusted adult.
• Pitch for a Healthier Community Relationship skills · Week 18Teams choose a school or community health issue, build a short advocacy pitch with a clear ask, and practice delivering it to a decision-maker.

RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.