How can you tell they’ve got it: Actions and Their Consequences?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Describe what happened as a consequence of a specific action they took; Predict what might happen if they choose a particular action before doing it; Explain that actions can have good or bad consequences for themselves and others. Or just try it together: Before your child does something — like taking a toy from a sibling or running in the corridor — can they stop and think about what might happen as a result?

Personal & Social Development Responsible Decision-Making Ages 5–7

Actions and Their Consequences

Your child knows that what they do affects themselves and others, and can stop to think what might happen before they act.

In curriculum terms

Understand that actions have consequences — that what you choose to do affects both yourself and other people — and begin to think about what might happen before they act

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Describe what happened as a consequence of a specific action they took
Predict what might happen if they choose a particular action before doing it
Explain that actions can have good or bad consequences for themselves and others

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Try this together

Before your child does something — like taking a toy from a sibling or running in the corridor — can they stop and think about what might happen as a result?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Vocabulary: making decisions and keeping safeages 5–8Understanding that actions have consequences requires the vocabulary word 'consequence' as a named concept

Actions and Their Consequencesthis skill · ages 5–7

Unlocks

Stop, Think, Then Chooseages 7–9Decision-making process builds on understanding consequences

Right and Wrong Choicesages 5–7Right/wrong benefits from understanding consequences

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 1 ACARA · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9HP4P03low confidenceYear 3–4 · Personal, social and community health

describe how choices and actions can be influenced by stereotypes

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2HH4S07medium confidenceHistory · Levels 3 and 4 · Historical Concepts and Skills strand

VC2HP4P03medium confidenceHealth and Physical Education · Levels 3 and 4 · Personal, Social and Community Health – Health Education strand

VC2HH2S06medium confidenceHistory · Foundation to Level 2 · Historical Concepts and Skills strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Everyday Safety Awarenessages 5–7 Right and Wrong Choicesages 5–7 Rules and agreements existages 5–7 Vocabulary: making decisions and keeping safeages 5–8

All Responsible Decision-Making skills →