How to Write a Social Story

by Ellen Smith, editor, Inkandescent Kids magazine

“Building connection through stories.” That’s how Carol Gray speaks of the social stories she introduced for her students in 1990. As a special education teacher, Ms. Gray worked with children that were on the autism spectrum. She began writing short narratives that explained social information that her autistic students might not understand. By sharing this information in a narrative style, Ms. Gray’s students knew what to expect and how to participate.

Since then, social stories have been used all around the world! Social stories are usually meant to convey information clearly to people on the autism spectrum so they will know what to expect. Social stories are also helpful for people with many other needs.

You might see a social story on an event website or at a popular attraction. As a kid reporter, you might also notice a situation where a social story would be nice to have.

In honor of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, let’s learn how to write a social story!

 

CLICK HERE for your FREE Social Story Planning Worksheets!

1. Plan your story

Ask yourself these questions:

  • Who will read the story?
  • What does the story explain?
  • When does each step happen?
  • How can I show the steps clearly?
  • Where can I share the story?
  • Why will this story help the reader?

2. Write and illustrate your story

See examples of many different kinds of social stories linked in the April 2026 Letter from the Editor.

Social stories use a combination of expressive sentences and coaching sentences.

  • Use expressive sentences to explain what your reader will likely see, hear, or feel.

“First you will walk through a revolving door. The door moves on its own! The glass doors spin slowly, but the floor does not move.”

  • Use coaching sentences to explain what the reader should do.

“There is enough room for two or three people to walk together. If there are already three people in one section, I will wait until the door passes and go in the next section.”

Social stories can use illustrations to help make each step more clear.

  • Photographs are helpful for specific places and experiences.
  • Picture symbols, drawings, and clip art are helpful for illustrating general actions, like “walk in a line,” or “pay the cashier.”

3. Share your story!

If you write a social story about visiting a local park or playground, your local newspaper or the park’s website might like a copy! Ask if they would like to offer the story on their website or print a few copies to have at the entrance.

If your social story is about a specific event, make sure it’s available at least a week before! That gives your audience time to read your social story several times before they participate. Maybe including your social story with tickets or adding it as a download on the sign-up page is a good idea!

 

Submit your story to Inkandescent Kids Magazine!

We would love to see social stories written by kids, for kids!

Here’s how to submit your social story for the Inkandescent Kids Writing Challenge

Submissions are open until 9:00 pm EST Friday, April 24, 2026.

Please email your submission to editor@inkandescentkids.com with the subject heading “Submission for Inkandescent Kids Writing Challenge”

Please attach your submission as a PDF file to your email.

In the body of your email, please include:

  • The first name and last initial of the Inkandescent Kid author. (Kid authors over 18 years old may include their full last name if desired.)
  • The Kid Author’s country of residence. (Include state or province, if desired.)
  • The age of the Inkandescent Kid author, if desired. (This challenge is open to Kid Authors from K-20.)
  • If the submission is a group project, please include how you would like the entry to be credited. Example: “Mr. Garcia’s Second Grade class” or “Kai L. and Maxine M.”
  • Please copy and paste the following:”By submitting my entry for the Inkandescent Kids Writing Challenge April 17-24, 2026, I agree to the following:
    • my submission does not include pictures of a minor child’s face (if the face is blurred or covered with an emoji, that is okay!)
    • my submission is the original creation of a Kid Author and was not generated using AI
    • if selected, my submission may be featured on inkandescentkids.com and on Instagram @inkandescentkids”

Thank you for entering the Inkandescent Kids Writing Challenge for April 17-24, 2026! We look forward to seeing your social stories! A selection of social stories will be shared on our website in celebration of our Inkandescent Kids for Autism Awareness and Acceptance month!