This activity involves students navigating an unmarked "hidden path" across a grid of squares. One student at a time steps onto squares trying to reveal the path through trial and error, while others observe. The goal is teamwork and developing social-emotional skills like self-motivation, decision making, and providing support to others. The activity can be processed to discuss what skills students practiced and how to apply them in other contexts. It has also been adapted to integrate math concepts like coordinate planes. The difficulty can be varied through adjustments to the grid size, rules, number of participants and complexity of the path.

1. Hidden Path (5th Grade)
This experiential activity was devised by Thom Stecher and
Associates (www.ThomStecher.com) as part of an SEL
Curriculum (www.SELToolkits.com). Depending upon how you
facilitate this activity, it can address all five competencies of social
emotional learning.
Scott Heydt (www.RefinedCharacter.com), a friend and colleague
in SEL , integrated Hidden Path into math by connecting it to
coordinate planes. Instead of stepping into a square, the students
step onto points of a coordinate plane (and call out the numbers
in order).

2. Materials and Objective
Materials:
20-25 12” squares
Objective:
The goal is for the entire
group, one by one, to find
and follow the unmarked
hidden path across the grid
of squares.
FINISH
START

3. ● Position carpet squares in a 5x4 grid as indicated on the map.
● Gather the entire group (10) people around the grid so that everyone has visual access.
● Determine which student will go first, second, third, etc. This order will always follow the same order.
● Only one student may be on the path at once.
● Moves on the path may only take place across squares with a shared border (forward, backward, left, right,
or diagonal). Entire rows or columns may not be skipped.
● Communication between participants regarding the path is permitted when there is no one currently on
the path. Once a participant enters the path, all communication to that participant must halt. This includes
non-verbal communication and/or encouragement.
● One at a time, group members attempt to find the hidden path by trial and error. A group member
continues to attempt steps until a wrong step is taken.
● Once a wrong step is taken, the group member on the path must exit the path and the next group member
in line enters the path.
● Once the full path is revealed, and a participant has successfully exited the path, that participant may no
longer assist with providing instructions or suggestions to those who have not yet completed the path.
● Proceed with all other participants completing the revealed path until all have exited. Again, as each
participant completes the path, he/she is no longer permitted to assist, verbally or non-verbally.
● The reader of the map (facilitator) judges proper moves. Other participants should not see the map at any
time.
Directions

4. SEL Competencies
I.A.6-8.b
I.C.6-8.a
Analyzes emotional states that contribute to or detract from one’s
ability to problem solve
Identifies peer and adult role models as sources of support
II.A.6-8.b Applies self-motivation strategies such as self-talk
III.A.6-8.b
Identifies constructive ways to provide support and encouragement
to others
IV.A.6-8.a Demonstrates an ability to be a team player in achieving group goals
V.B.6-8.a Identifies and applies the steps of systematic decision-making

5. Processing an Experiential Activity
There are many different ways to process this activity
depending upon what SEL skills you want your students to
practice.
Processing involves three parts:
1 What? What did you just do? (literally)
2 So What? What SEL skills did you work on during this activity?
3 Now What?
How can you apply these skills in school, your community,
or at home?

6. Processing Questions for Advocacy
1
What specific actions did the team take to achieve success in revealing the hidden
path?
What specific obstacles or restrictions made revealing the path difficult?
When it was your turn in the maze, what were some feelings you experienced and
why?
2
Were there times when you felt you had too much help from your teammates? Too
little? How did you communicate to your teammates whether you had too much, too
little, or just enough help?
Did you have the responsibility to advocate for yourself or for others in this activity?
If so, how and why?
3
Think about an experience in school or at home when you advocating for yourself or
what you need would be necessary. Describe that experience to a partner.

7. Processing Questions for Mentorship/Legacy
1
What specific actions did the team take to achieve success in revealing the
hidden path?
What specific obstacles or restrictions made revealing the path difficult?
When it was your turn in the maze, what were some feelings you experienced
and why?
2
What skills did you employ to achieve success in this activity?
How did your observation of peer choices help you navigate the maze?
3
Who is a mentor or role model in your life? In what ways do you follow or not
follow their path?
What legacy do you want to leave behind in this school, at home, or in your
community?

8. Content Infused - Math
0 1 2 3 4
5
4
3
2
1
0
FINISH
START

9. 5th Grade Common Core Math Standards
5.G.A.1 - Use a pair of perpendicular number lines, called axes, to define a coordinate system,
with the intersection of the lines (the origin) arranged to coincide with the 0 on each line and a
given point in the plane located by using an ordered pair of numbers, called its coordinates.
5.OA.3 - Generate two numerical patterns using two given rules. Identify apparent relationships
between corresponding terms. Form ordered pairs consisting of corresponding terms from the
two patterns, and graph the ordered pairs on a coordinate plane.
5.G.A.1 - Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first
quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the
situation.

10. Increase or Decrease Difficulty
● Increase or decrease the number of squares in grid
● Cannot take backward steps, only forward
● Include different color squares
● Increase or decrease the number of individuals
participating
● Add more or less movements from start to finish
● Add more quadrants.
● Ask other students who are not walking through the maze
to graph the coordinate points and guess the polygon
that is being created.