Responsibility scenarios for kids: 38 situations about owning up and doing your part

By the Life Scenario team · Updated · For children 6–14

38 situations where a child has to own something: a friend’s toy they broke that nobody has noticed yet, plants they forgot to water all week, a wallet found at school with money inside. Read one together and ask what doing their part would look like.

Responsibility in these scenarios comes in three kinds: owning up to a mistake, keeping a promise or a job, and doing the right thing with something that isn’t yours. None of them are big. They are spilled paint, forgotten homework and an extra quiz point given by mistake, the everyday moments where children practise it.

The scenarios were written by the Life Scenario team together with child psychologists. The first 11 appear here in full, exactly as they do in the game, and your child can try them without an account. The other 27 are listed further down by title and opening line, and play in the game with a free account. To make a free printable, use your browser’s Print command: the full scenarios print as a plain list.

11 responsibility scenarios to read in full

  1. Toy Trouble

    Ages 6–14

    You're at your friend’s house and you borrow their toy and accidentally break a piece. They haven’t noticed yet. What do you do?

    Also practises: courage, empathy, integrity

    Practise this one: Toy Trouble

  2. Is This Video too Old for Us?

    Ages 6–11

    At a friend’s house, they start watching a YouTube video that says “for ages 12+.” No adults are around. What do you do?

    Also practises: courage, empathy, integrity, self-control

    Practise this one: Is This Video too Old for Us?

  3. Classmate poker!

    Ages 6–14

    Your classmate keeps poking others with a pencil and making jokes during quiet time. He pokes someone and they yell "ouch". The teacher asks if anyone saw what happened. What do you do?

    Also practises: self-control, social awareness

    Practise this one: Classmate poker!

  4. Gift Surprise

    Ages 6–14

    At a family party, you’re given a gift by someone you don’t know well. You don’t like it — and everyone is watching. What do you do?

    Also practises: self-control, empathy, relationship skills

    Practise this one: Gift Surprise

  5. Nervous notes

    Ages 6–14

    Before your piano recital, you get nervous and want to drop out. Your parent and teacher both encourage you. What do you do?

    Also practises: self-control, empathy, relationship skills

    Practise this one: Nervous notes

  6. When Mistakes Make Us Giggle

    Ages 6–14

    In maths class, your teacher asks for an answer and you give the wrong one. Some of your friends giggle behind you. What do you do?

    Also practises: self-control, social awareness, focus

    Practise this one: When Mistakes Make Us Giggle

  7. Lost Homework

    Ages 8–12

    You worked hard on your homework, but when you get to class, you realise you left it at home. Your teacher reminds you it’s due today. You can't go home but you can't hand in something that isn't there. What do you do?

    Also practises: optimism, integrity, self-control

    Practise this one: Lost Homework

  8. Argument Echo

    Ages 8–14

    You get into an argument with your parent about screen time. They raise their voice — and you yell back. An hour later, you notice your heart still racing and your mind replaying every word. What do you do?

    Also practises: self-awareness, self-control

    Practise this one: Argument Echo

  9. Recess Dare

    Ages 8–14

    At recess, a group dares you to ring the fire bell. You know it's wrong, but they are all pressuring you. They say you’re ‘too scared’ to do it. What do you do?

    Also practises: social awareness, self-control, focus

    Practise this one: Recess Dare

  10. Tablet Time with Sibling

    Ages 8–14

    You and your sibling are supposed to share tablet time. When it’s their turn, you realise you forgot to save your game and ask to finish. They don't want to share. What do you do?

    Also practises: self-control, empathy, relationship skills

    Practise this one: Tablet Time with Sibling

  11. Broken Window

    Ages 10–14

    After school, a few classmates dare each other to throw stones at the old gym windows.

    You’re there when one of them actually does — the glass shatters loudly.

    Everyone freezes.

    The next morning, the principal announces over the PA that whoever’s responsible needs to come forward — or the whole grade will lose their weekend excursion.

    Later, one of the boys pulls you aside and whispers,

    “You didn’t see anything, right? We’re all in this together.”

    You know exactly who did it. You also know it’s not fair for everyone else to be punished.

    What do you do?

    Also practises: courage, social awareness

    Practise this one: Broken Window

More scenarios in the game

27 more responsibility scenarios to play in the game. Tap one to sign up free — it will be the first scenario your child plays.

  1. The Spilled Drink Ages 6–6

    You accidentally knock over your juice and it splashes on the tablecloth.

    Play in the game

  2. Chilly Dilemma Ages 6–8

    A friend forgets their gloves at school.

    Play in the game

  3. Lunchtime Fishy Ages 6–8

    You’re supposed to feed the class fish during lunch this week.

    Play in the game

  4. Class Line Ages 6–10

    You’re last to join the class line and your friend saves you a spot near the front.

    Play in the game

  5. Confused Over the Mystery Lunchbox Ages 6–10

    You find a lunchbox with no name on it after recess.

    Play in the game

  6. Covering for a Messy Brother? Ages 6–10

    Your younger brother makes a mess and runs away before your parents see.

    Play in the game

  7. Paint Problems Ages 6–10

    While painting a project, you accidentally spill blue paint on another student’s work.

    Play in the game

  8. Rainy Day Classroom Slips Ages 6–12

    It’s raining and the class floor gets muddy.

    Play in the game

  9. Basketball Shuffle Ages 6–14

    During basketball, your team wins and the teacher shuffles players.

    Play in the game

  10. Caught Watching Videos Instead of Cleaning Before Parent Comes Ages 6–14

    You promised to clean your room but got caught up watching videos.

    Play in the game

  11. Forgotten homework Ages 6–14

    You forget your homework at home.

    Play in the game

  12. Lost Wallet Mystery Ages 6–14

    You find a wallet on the ground at school with a student ID and money inside.

    Play in the game

  13. Plant Peril Ages 6–14

    Your chore was to water the plants but you forgot all week.

    Play in the game

  14. Spilled Paint Ages 6–14

    You bump into the paint jars while walking past the art shelf, and it spills everywhere.

    Play in the game

  15. Messy Classroom Ages 8–10

    You notice the classroom is messy after art class.

    Play in the game

  16. Lunch Trade with a Nutty Twist Ages 8–12

    Your friend wants to trade lunches, but you know your snack has nuts and they have a mild allergy.

    Play in the game

  17. Snack Attack Ages 8–12

    You are at your friend's house for a movie night and you and you friends have left snacks all over the floor.

    Play in the game

  18. Cheeky Drawings Ages 8–14

    You find a comic strip someone drew making fun of a teacher.

    Play in the game

  19. Friend Queue Jumper! Ages 8–14

    Your friend cuts in front of someone in the lunch line and tells you to pretend they were always there.

    Play in the game

  20. Quiz Points Mix-Up Moves You Ahead of a Friend Ages 8–14

    The teacher gives you an extra point on your quiz by mistake.

    Play in the game

  21. The Loud Library Ages 8–14

    You signed up to be a student helper in the school library during lunch breaks.

    Play in the game

  22. Trophy Trouble at the Community Centre Ages 8–14

    At the community centre, a trophy gets knocked over while you're playing with friends.

    Play in the game

  23. Wagging school? Ages 8–14

    You notice a small gate open near the school.

    Play in the game

  24. Secret Shortcut or Fair Play? Ages 10–14

    You're learning coding and a friend finds a way to get the puzzle answer early and shares it with you secretly.

    Play in the game

  25. Team mate crisis Ages 10–14

    You are captain of your sports team.

    Play in the game

  26. The Secret Test Page Ages 10–14

    You notice there’s a back page to a test others missed.

    Play in the game

  27. Unsure About the Party Plans Ages 12–14

    You’ve been invited to a party where there might be things happening that aren’t allowed.

    Play in the game

How can you use these at home or in class?

  1. Ask your child what the character is responsible for in the scene. Sometimes it is a mistake, sometimes a promise and sometimes something they found.
  2. Ask what would happen if nobody ever found out. Most of these scenarios turn on the choice a child makes when no one is watching.
  3. Find the first sentence of owning up, like “I broke it, I’m sorry” or “I forgot to water them,” and say it once together.
  4. Talk about putting it right as well as saying sorry: cleaning up the paint, telling the friend about the broken piece, handing the wallet to a teacher.

Questions parents and teachers ask

How do I teach my child responsibility?

Give them small jobs that are really theirs, and when something goes wrong, help them own it and fix it instead of fixing it for them. The scenarios here let you practise the owning-up part before it happens for real.

How is responsibility different from honesty?

They overlap. Honesty is telling the truth. Responsibility is also doing something about it, like cleaning up, making up for it or keeping your word. For scenarios about telling the truth, see our honesty scenarios for kids.

What age are these responsibility scenarios for?

Ages 6 to 14, and each scenario shows its own range. Feeding the class fish and a spilled drink are for younger children. A party where things that aren’t allowed might happen is for 12 and up.

Are these responsibility scenarios free?

The scenarios shown in full are free to read and print, and a child can try them in Life Scenario without an account. The others play in the game with a free account, and new accounts get 5 free scenarios.

Guides for parents on this

One situation in depth

My child broke a friend’s toyYour child broke a friend’s toy and the friend hasn’t noticed yet. How to own up and offer to fix it, with the words your child can use.

More scenario lists

The whole scenario library