Preschool-age children lack concrete reasoning ability and need frequent coaching in using appropriate social skills. Using social stories in the preschool classroom helps students to gain a better understanding of complex social situations using auditory cues, visual cues and praise.
What are social stories?
Social stories use age-appropriate terms to explain social skills and teach acceptable behaviors in response to social situations. Children respond well to praise and reassurance depicted in social stories. When kids have a better understanding of specific social expectations, their behavior may improve. Parents and teachers can use a simple social story to teach politeness, hygiene skills, figures of speech, life events and behavior in specific situations.
Writing a social story
Write a social story in first-person from the view of the child. Choose one specific skill for each story to teach and break the task down into smaller steps to put into the story. Begin by describing, in present-tense, what the child will see in one specific situation. Use simple words and pictures that the student will understand when reading the story.
Sentence types
Write the short story using descriptive, perspective and directive sentences. Including affirmative, cooperative and control-type sentences are optional in each story. For each directive and perspective sentence, use two to five descriptive sentences.
Descriptive Sentences -- What the child will see during the setting.
Perspective Sentences -- What other people involved in the social situation may think, feel or do.
Directive Sentences -- What the appropriate behavior is for the setting.
Affirmative -- Adds to the importance of other sentences used in the story.
Cooperative -- Describes what support the child will receive from adults and peers.
Control -- Encourages the student to use the story.
Example social story
Lunch Time
When it is lunch time, I go find my cup with my name on it at the table.
I sit in the chair and keep my feet and hands to myself.
Other boys and girls will be finding their cups and sitting down too.
I can politely talk with my teacher and my friends who are sitting next to me.
I help my teacher by waiting my turn to spoon food onto my plate.
I do not get mad and yell while I am waiting for others to pass the food to me.
When I am done eating lunch, I put my plate, cup and silverware in the sink.
I was very polite at lunch time today!
