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Social Story for Transitions
A transitions social story helps a child who finds it hard to stop one thing and start another: leaving the park, putting down the blocks for dinner, getting out of the bath. For a young child, being stopped in the middle of something can feel like losing it. A warning, a timer, and a way to save what they were doing for later can make the change feel less like an ending.
The story below walks through one ordinary change, step by step, and doesn’t scold the child for minding. Read it on a calm night. There is a separate story on this site for turning off the tablet, which is its own kind of transition. Free to read aloud, or make one with your child in it.
What will happen, in order
- The five minute warning
- The timer rings
- Save the game for later
- Go to the next thing
Read the steps together in the daytime, more than once. The free printable below has these steps at the top and the bedtime story underneath.
Leo’s Castle Waits
A free story to read aloud tonight
Leo was building the biggest castle in the world out of blocks. It had four towers, a door that opened, and a moat made of a blue scarf.
Then Grandma said, “Five more minutes, then it’s dinner.” Leo’s tummy went tight. Five minutes was not enough for a castle.
Grandma set the kitchen timer, the one shaped like a tomato. Tick, tick, tick. Leo built as fast as he could. He put a flag on the tallest tower.
Ding! went the tomato. Leo didn’t want to stop. “What if it falls down?” he said. Grandma had an idea. She found a piece of paper and wrote on it: LEO’S CASTLE. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH. They stood it right in front of the moat.
“It will wait for you,” said Grandma. “Castles are good at waiting.” So Leo washed his hands and came to dinner, and only looked back at his castle twice.
After dinner the castle was still there, every tower. Leo played for ten more minutes, and when the tomato rang again for bath, it was a little bit easier. That night he fell asleep thinking about a fifth tower, for tomorrow.
Read it a few nights running rather than on the morning of. Familiarity is the part that works. The aim is that by the day itself, none of it is new.
Why are transitions so hard for some children?
Stopping something they are absorbed in is hard for most young children, and harder for some, including many autistic children and children with ADHD. A change that is sudden, or seems to come from nowhere, is usually the hardest kind. Warnings, timers a child can see and a predictable order to the day are common strategies.
What helps a child stop playing?
Many parents find a few things help: a warning before the change, a timer the child can see or hear, a way to save what they were doing, and saying what comes next. Using the same words every time helps the routine stick.