Making Good Choices (Y1 PSHE)

Help young children understand that the choices they make each day lead to different outcomes. In this simple, child-friendly Year 1 lesson, pupils explore everyday examples of helpful and unhelpful choices, learn what an outcome is, and practise predicting what might happen next. Perfect for building early responsibility, self-awareness, and classroom community in a calm, structured way.

Learning objective: Learn to recognise simple choices in your everyday life and their outcomes.

What’s included:

• Full lesson slide deck (PDF) with a clear, ready-to-teach structure: Spark Plug, Starter, Key Words, Teacher Explanation, Main Activities, Exit Task, Cross-Curricular Links
• Spark Plug: “Two Doors, One Choice” discussion prompt to introduce decision-making in a visual, engaging way
• Starter: “The Choices I Make” mini whiteboard task to help pupils connect learning to real life
• Key word focus: Outcome (what happens next because of your choice)
• Activity 1 worksheet: Match the choice to the outcome (draw lines to link simple choices to what might happen next, e.g. waiting your turn, pushing in line, drinking water, using kind words)
• Activity 2 worksheet: My Choices “two doors” activity where pupils draw two possible choices, tick the one they would choose, and draw the outcome
• Exit task: Quick choice check-out (draw one good choice on a post-it)
• Cross-curricular extension ideas included (reading, art, maths, writing/reading, science, PE), plus a suggested class text: The Bad-Tempered Ladybird by Eric Carle
  Editable Canva template included within the resource for interactive teaching (recommended)

Why teachers love it:

• Low-prep lesson with clear visuals and simple language that works beautifully in KS1
• Helps children practise cause-and-effect thinking in a way that feels relevant and empowering
• Supports classroom culture by reinforcing kind choices, turn-taking, and thinking before acting

Suitable for: Year 1 / KS1
Unit: Unit 1: Me
Theme: Making Smart Choices

About The Ripple Project

The Ripple Project is more than a PSHE curriculum. It’s a mission.

A mission to help children grow into emotionally literate, self-regulated, and informed young people, with the knowledge and skills they need for personal, social, health, and economic life.

Here at RevEd, we believe children deserve more than surface-level lessons that rush through big topics. Our lessons are designed to go deeper, revisit themes over time through spiral learning, and help learners practise real-life skills in creative, practical ways that actually stick.