Using Social Stories to Teach Procedures and Routines in Preschool

New and veteran teachers alike understand the importance of connecting with their students as a way to build a strong classroom community. The tricky part, however, is often figuring out exactly how to reach children, especially when each unique group of students presents varying skills and behaviors in need of attention. There is one helpful tool that every early childhood and primary teacher should have in their toolbox: social stories.

Social story topics are limitless, ranging from subjects like “how to follow the group plan” and “how to use scissors safely” to “how to keep hands to yourself.” Social stories are useful year-round but are especially helpful at the start of the school year when students are learning routines, procedures, and behaviors that align with the classroom and school community. Educators can connect with their students through social stories in order to start the school year strong and continue all year long.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL STORY?

A social story is a learning tool in the form of a short storybook that targets specific behaviors, skills, and topics through child-friendly text and simple illustrations. Social stories are commonly told from the viewpoint of the classroom community as a whole. This ensures that individuals are not being called out or isolated.

Social stories use positive language and identify any problems objectively. Instead of speaking in generalizations (a trap that busy teachers often fall into), social stories provide specific examples to help young children better understand the lesson to be learned. The flexible nature of social stories allows teachers to adapt based on their unique classroom situations. Social stories help educators find developmentally appropriate messages to effectively communicate with children, while simultaneously providing common language for teachers, students, support staff, and families. 

Researchers have found an increase in positive social interactions when social stories are used in classrooms. One reason for this may be that social stories help students understand the why behind school and classroom expectations. Social stories guide children to develop an awareness of others’ perspectives. For example, through a social story, children better understand that the teacher is responsible for keeping everyone safe, and this is the reason why we must remain in the classroom. Social stories support children so they can begin to build empathy and consider how others might feel. While social stories are beneficial for all children, these tools are particularly helpful to teach choice-making to children with special needs. 

HOW CAN SOCIAL STORIES BE USED?

When introducing a social story, maintain a light tone and use friendly language. You might say something like this: “4K friends, I’m going to read a story to you today. It’s a short story about being kind and respectful in school, which is perfect because we are learning how to be kind and respectful in school, aren’t we? Yes! Well, let’s not wait any longer. Here we go!”

After the social story has ended, help your students pull out the lesson to be learned. You might say something like this: “Wow! I noticed so many ways the kids in the story were being kind and respectful. For example, on this page, I noticed that the boy used his words to ask for the robot toy. Did you notice that too?” Then, invite your students to share their observations. You might say something like this: “If you noticed other ways that the kids in the story were kind and respectful and you’d like to share, raise your hand and please wait until your name is called.”

Continue to use that light tone and friendly language as you help your students make text-to-self connections. In other words, guide your students to link the social story lesson to their school lives so they are more likely to apply those positive skills and behaviors. You might say something like this: “It’s almost time to play. Before we go, let’s think of ways that we can be kind and respectful during play time. Go ahead and close your eyes and take a few moments to think.”

GETting STARTED WITH SOCIAL STORIES

First, reflect on the following questions: “What are the most urgent needs in my classroom currently?” and “What behaviors arise with every group, year after year?” In order to get your brain thinking, here is a list of topics that we frequently come back to each school year:

• Staying in our “bubbles” (personal space)
• Following the group plan
• Managing materials safely and appropriately
• Working through peer conflicts
• Solving problems independently
• Playing and working together
• Choosing and using kind words

After you have identified the most pressing skills, behaviors, and topics that require attention, you have a couple of options. You can either locate a social story created by another educator or you can create a social story that aligns with the topic you have in mind.

You can make one yourself by hand using basic drawings or digitally using clip art or stock photos in programs like Canva and Microsoft PowerPoint. Here is a recent social story I wrote for my students about how to come in from recess.

If you want to write your own, you can follow this structure:

• (page 1) Make a general statement: “When we are at school, we...”
• (page 2) Narrow in on the behavior, skill, or topic: “Sometimes we...”
• (page 3) Identify the desirable behavior: “It is important to...”
• (page 4) Identify the reason for the desirable behavior: “This is because...”
• (page 5) Identify the undesirable behavior: “We do not...”
• (page 6) Identify the reason for the undesirable behavior: “This is because...”
• (page 7) Name problem-solving: “When this happens, we can...”
• (page 8) Conclude on a positive note: “Everyone feels safe and happy when we...”

Once you have your social story ready to go, make a plan to share it with your students.

Give social stories a try in your classroom this school year to support you and your students in creating a strong classroom community.