What do you see? Could someone else see something different? Help children explore perspective taking, visual perception, flexible thinking, and social awareness with this engaging What Do You See? Perspective Taking Game!

This interactive social emotional learning (SEL) activity features 30 zoomed-in photograph puzzles that challenge students to look closely, make predictions, and consider different possibilities before seeing the bigger picture. What looks obvious at first might turn out to be something completely different!

Students discover that people can interpret the same information in different ways, especially when they only have part of the picture. This creates opportunities to discuss how perspectives are influenced by the information we have, what we notice, and our previous experiences.

With an interactive Google Slides game and differentiated printable cards, this activity is ideal for elementary school counseling, social skills groups, speech therapy, special education, and classroom SEL lessons. It's an engaging way to introduce perspective taking and theory of mind concepts without relying exclusively on hypothetical social situations.

📦 What's Included:

✔️ 30 Zoomed-In Photograph Puzzles

• Students examine close-up photographs and make predictions about what each image might show.

• The larger image reveals additional information and invites students to reconsider their initial interpretation.

• Encourage children to recognize that multiple interpretations can make sense when information is incomplete.

✔️ Interactive Google Slides Perspective Taking Game

• Digital version of the photograph puzzles for interactive instruction.

• Display images on a computer, projector, or interactive whiteboard.

• Use during individual counseling, small groups, or classroom SEL lessons.

✔️ Differentiated Printable Perspective Taking Cards

• Printable photo puzzle cards for hands-on activities and small-group discussions.

• Includes a picture-only, self-correcting option that can be especially helpful for younger students.

• Additional card versions offer opportunities for discussion and reflection with older students.

✔️ Visual Perspective Taking and Flexible Thinking Practice

• Encourage students to consider more than one possible interpretation.

• Discuss what happens when we receive new information.

• Explore why two people might look at the same image and notice different things.

🎒 Quick Details: Elementary students | 👥 Individual counseling, small groups + classroom SEL | 🖨️ Printable cards + interactive Google Slides | 🎯 Perspective taking, visual perception, flexible thinking + social awareness

🛍️ Bundle & Save:

Want more ways to teach perspective taking, theory of mind, and social awareness?

• This activity is included at a discount in the Perspective Taking Growing Bundle!

Want a broader collection of social skills activities?

• Explore the Social Skills Treasury Growing Bundle for additional lessons and games covering a variety of SEL topics.

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🎯 Skills Addressed:

✔️ Understanding perspective taking

✔️ Developing visual perspective taking skills

✔️ Practicing flexible thinking

✔️ Considering multiple interpretations

✔️ Recognizing incomplete information

✔️ Developing social awareness

✔️ Exploring theory of mind concepts

✔️ Practicing cognitive flexibility

✔️ Revising ideas when new information becomes available

✔️ Building observation and visual discrimination skills

✔️ Developing reasoning and prediction skills

✔️ Practicing respectful disagreement

✔️ Exploring different points of view

✔️ Asking questions instead of making assumptions

✔️ Recognizing that people notice different details

✔️ Building social communication skills

💡 Ways to Use It:

• Introduce perspective taking with the zoomed-in photograph puzzles.
• Ask students what they notice before revealing the full image.
• Invite students to share different possible interpretations.
• Discuss how new information can change our understanding.
• Use the interactive Google Slides game during classroom SEL lessons.
• Use the printable cards during individual counseling.
• Practice flexible thinking during small-group counseling.
• Explore why different people might notice different details.
• Discuss how incomplete information can contribute to misunderstandings.
• Practice responding respectfully when classmates have different ideas.
• Use the picture-only cards with younger students.
• Incorporate the puzzles into morning meetings or brain breaks.
• Pair the game with lessons on empathy and social awareness.
• Discuss the difference between making a prediction and knowing something for certain.
• Use the photographs to introduce conversations about assumptions.
• Combine the activity with other perspective taking games for additional practice.

👩‍🏫 Who It's For:

School Counselors and School Social Workers: Introduce perspective taking, flexible thinking, and social awareness through engaging visual puzzles during individual counseling, small groups, and classroom SEL lessons.

Child Therapists and Psychologists: Explore different interpretations, reasoning, and flexible thinking through interactive activities.

Speech-Language Pathologists: Use the photographs to encourage descriptive language, prediction, reasoning, and social communication.

Special Education Teachers: Provide differentiated, visual activities that support perspective taking and flexible thinking.

Classroom Teachers: Incorporate the puzzles into classroom SEL lessons, morning meetings, and community-building activities.

Occupational Therapists: Use the visual puzzles to explore observation, flexible thinking, and considering different possibilities.

Homeschool Educators and Families: Encourage conversations about different perspectives through fun visual activities.

🖨️ Format & Download:

This is a digital and printable perspective taking activity featuring:

✔️ 30 zoomed-in photograph puzzles

✔️ Interactive Google Slides game

✔️ Differentiated printable photo puzzle cards

✔️ Picture-only, self-correcting card option

✔️ Additional card versions for different learning levels

Use the printable cards for hands-on counseling activities or display the digital game during classroom instruction and screen sharing.

Please ensure you have access to Google Slides to use the interactive digital component.

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📌 Important Notes:

• Perspective taking is not about guessing the correct answer immediately. The goal is to help children recognize that people may interpret the same information differently and that new information can change our understanding.
• Encourage students to share their observations and consider multiple possibilities without treating different initial interpretations as failures.
• This activity focuses primarily on visual perspective taking and flexible thinking. It can serve as an introduction to broader conversations about understanding different thoughts, experiences, and points of view.
• This is a digital download. No physical product will be shipped. Due to the digital nature of this resource, all sales are final and refunds are not available.