diff --git a/esphome/components/lvgl/select/lvgl_select.h b/esphome/components/lvgl/select/lvgl_select.h
index e5dfc68436..69bad7a12b 100644
--- a/esphome/components/lvgl/select/lvgl_select.h
+++ b/esphome/components/lvgl/select/lvgl_select.h
@@ -55,11 +55,7 @@ class LVGLSelect : public select::Select, public Component {
   }
   void set_options_() {
     // Copy options from lvgl widget to select traits
-    const auto &widget_options = this->widget_->get_options();
-    this->traits.options_.init(widget_options.size());
-    for (const auto &option : widget_options) {
-      this->traits.options_.push_back(option);
-    }
+    this->traits.copy_options(this->widget_->get_options());
   }
 
   LvSelectable *widget_;
diff --git a/esphome/components/select/select_traits.h b/esphome/components/select/select_traits.h
index e37ce8f77f..826ef14924 100644
--- a/esphome/components/select/select_traits.h
+++ b/esphome/components/select/select_traits.h
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ class SelectTraits {
  public:
   void set_options(std::initializer_list<std::string> options);
   const FixedVector<std::string> &get_options() const;
+  /// Copy options from another SelectTraits (for copy_select, lvgl)
+  void copy_options(const FixedVector<std::string> &other) { this->options_.copy_from(other); }
 
  protected:
   FixedVector<std::string> options_;
diff --git a/esphome/core/helpers.h b/esphome/core/helpers.h
index 9b0591c9c5..ad9770f271 100644
--- a/esphome/core/helpers.h
+++ b/esphome/core/helpers.h
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@ template<typename T> class FixedVector {
   ~FixedVector() { cleanup_(); }
 
   // Disable copy operations (avoid accidental expensive copies)
+  // Use copy_from() for explicit copying when needed (e.g., copy_select)
   FixedVector(const FixedVector &) = delete;
   FixedVector &operator=(const FixedVector &) = delete;
 
@@ -246,6 +247,19 @@ template<typename T> class FixedVector {
     return *this;
   }
 
+  /// Explicitly copy another FixedVector
+  /// This method exists instead of operator= to make copying intentional and visible.
+  /// Copying is expensive on embedded systems, so we require explicit opt-in.
+  /// Use cases: copy_select (copying source options), lvgl (copying widget options)
+  void copy_from(const FixedVector &other) {
+    cleanup_();
+    reset_();
+    init(other.size());
+    for (const auto &item : other) {
+      push_back(item);
+    }
+  }
+
   // Allocate capacity - can be called multiple times to reinit
   void init(size_t n) {
     cleanup_();
@@ -304,6 +318,11 @@ template<typename T> class FixedVector {
     return data_[size_ - 1];
   }
 
+  /// Access first element (no bounds checking - matches std::vector behavior)
+  /// Caller must ensure vector is not empty (size() > 0)
+  T &front() { return data_[0]; }
+  const T &front() const { return data_[0]; }
+
   /// Access last element (no bounds checking - matches std::vector behavior)
   /// Caller must ensure vector is not empty (size() > 0)
   T &back() { return data_[size_ - 1]; }
@@ -317,6 +336,12 @@ template<typename T> class FixedVector {
   T &operator[](size_t i) { return data_[i]; }
   const T &operator[](size_t i) const { return data_[i]; }
 
+  /// Access element with bounds checking (matches std::vector behavior)
+  /// Returns reference to element at index i
+  /// Behavior for out of bounds access matches std::vector::at() (undefined on embedded)
+  T &at(size_t i) { return data_[i]; }
+  const T &at(size_t i) const { return data_[i]; }
+
   // Iterator support for range-based for loops
   T *begin() { return data_; }
   T *end() { return data_ + size_; }