There is a huge list of social skills to tackle when it comes to raising children. And many kids need some guidance when it comes to things like sharing, being a good sport, and friendship skills.
Friendship skills, in particular, involve a lot of different things. Things like how to talk to friends, how to play with friends, how to make new friends, how to be a good friend, and so on. It's not just one particular skill that needs to be mastered. It's made up of lots of moving parts.
Then there are even more topics as children grow up, such as peer pressure, navigating social media, dating, and/or rumors and gossip, that they may need guidance with too. As teenagers and young adults, their friendship needs and relationship goals change. So different skills need to be tackled as they grow.
Regardless of age, one great way to work on these various friendship skills is to use social stories. They can help kids break down a variety of these different friendship skills and help them learn what makes a good friend.
Below you will find a bunch of free social stories about friendship to get you started (as well as some other friendship skill resources). Most of these are geared towards the younger crowd versus tweens and teens.
This collection of social stories for friendship was last updated on November 5, 2022. New stories were added (including video ones!), dead links were removed, and more details were provided to make sure you can find what you need quicker.
Free Printable Social Stories About Friendship
Whether you are looking for a playing with friends social story or being a good friend social story, these free social stories on friendship skills are a great starting point! Some require you to have a Teachers Pay Teachers account (which is free!) before you can download them.
I've rounded up some options for you to explore. That way you can find the best friendship social story for you and your child. Or you can always use ideas from a few of the different stories below to write your own custom story (free social story templates here to help).
Please note that just because a social story is listed here does not mean I endorse its content. After all, many social stories tend to be poorly written and/or teach autistic masking. Besides, I haven't read all of these stories word for word myself. So please read through the stories carefully before using them with your child.
1. Free Being a Good Friend Story from All Things Special Ed on Teachers Pay Teachers - This colorful social story talks about kindness, sharing, asking to play, and more.
2. Free Making Friends Social Story by Teacher Gomez on Teachers Pay Teachers - A simple 8 page story about how to be a good friend, sharing, and using nice words. It looks like it comes as a PowerPoint presentation so hopefully that means you can edit it as well.
3. Free How to Make Friends Social Story by Kelli Writes Social Stories on Teachers Pay Teachers - This friendship social story uses clipart and simple text to talk about making new friends, coping strategies, and feelings related to friendship.
4. Free Being a Good Friend Social Story by Miss Allison's SpEd Spot on Teachers Pay Teachers - This social story also includes some additional activities. It also looks like it comes in various formats.
5. Free Getting Along with Others Social Story from One Giggle at a Time on Teachers Pay Teachers - There is so much more than a social story here. But the social story in particular focuses on how differences make us special, how we are all the same, and the importance of accepting others. It also comes in different formats and includes a comprehension check page.
6. Free Friendships Social Story from Miss Phoebe Teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers - This story looks pretty simple and at 6 pages, I'm not sure how detailed it is.
7. Free Let's Be Friends Social Story by Shop the Shoppe on Teachers Pay Teachers - A 13 page story all about how to develop friendships and what it means to be a friend. It looks really colorful and, honestly, busy. So if your child gets overwhelmed by visual information, this story might not be a good fit.
Video Social Stories for Kids About Friendship
Here are some video social stories that explore and teach various friendship skills. You can use these in teletherapy sessions, social skills groups, and/or classroom settings. Videos are always a great alternative to printing off a story.
Like the stories above, some of the wording in these video social stories might not be great. But I wanted to make sure you had lots of different options to explore when it comes to the concept of friendship.
Can't Find Exactly What You Need? Here are Some Other Social Story Options...
Didn't find quite what you needed above? Don't feel like writing one from scratch yourself? Well, here are some paid social stories related to friendship skills that you might want to consider.
- Asking a Friend to Play Social Story - Kids will learn how to introduce themselves, how to ask a friend to play, and what to do if the other person says no.
- When My Friend is Bossy Social Story - Some friends might be bossy and this story helps kids understand what bossiness is and what to do next.
These social stories are from the Playtime Social Story Bundle, which includes 20 different stories related to being a good friend, playing with friends, and how to play different childhood games. I also have a Conversation Skills Social Story Bundle that covers a lot of important skills regarding talking with friends and other people.
Get the Playtime Social Story Bundle
Need More Resources to Teach Friendship Skills? Try this Printable Pack!
This printable pack includes resources on how to show kindness, how to make an apology, understanding emotions, and so much more! It will even help kids get a better understand of different types of disabilities. You're going to love this inclusive printable pack from my friend Renae!
Get your copy of the Friendship Skills Printable Pack
This friendship printable pack would be a great complement to any of the free social stories about friendship (or any of the paid ones I've included!) above.
