Do your kids struggle with the concept of personal space? Yeah, mine too...
It can be a tricky topic to teach because different people have different boundaries. Sometimes their personal bubbles may change depending on the situation. I know I have different boundaries depending on how I am feeling. My bubble often needs to be larger when I'm grumpy, for instance.
One easy way to help kids learn more about this concept is to use social stories. You can also use this space invaders social skills pack to help. It uses cute little aliens and a variety of printables.
The collection of social stories about personal space found below is helpful for teaching kids about how close is too close when interacting with others.
They cover why personal space is important and how much space to leave between yourself and others. They also cover what happens when you stand too close or too far away versus when you stand just the right distance apart. Some even touch on consent, which is super important to teach about!
This collection of personal space social stories was last updated on November 1, 2022. New stories were added (including video ones and a song!), dead links were removed, and more details were provided to make sure you can find what you need quicker.
Free Social Stories About Personal Space
Have you been looking for a social story about personal space? Then look no further than these free printable social skills stories about personal space. 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 personal space social story for you and your child. Or you can simply use ideas from 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 "My Space Bubble" Social Story About Personal Space from San Francisco Inclusion Networks on Teachers Pay Teachers - This story looks like it uses some great visuals with hula hoops and diverse children. I'm always a big fan of resources that use images representing different skin tones and abilities.
2. Free Personal Space Social Story from Broad Horizons on Teachers Pay Teachers - This one looks to be specifically written for a particular teacher who teaches kindergarten. It also uses some simply stick people drawings. So this one might be best to use as inspiration for writing your own.
3. What is Personal Space? A Free Social Story on Personal Space from Living Well with Autism - Here's a super basic one page story with clipart. It focuses on how people behave when given space vs not given enough space.
4. Free Personal Space Social Story from LessonPix - This 16 page social story explains personal space using clipart and very little text. Heads up though, the free sample is watermarked, but you could always use the story as inspiration to write your own.
5. Keeping my Hands, Feet, & Body to Myself from Kylie the Creative Social Worker on Teachers Pay Teachers - This personal space social story is all about keeping your hands, feet, and body to self. It includes two versions, one with boy clipart and one with girl clipart.
6. Being Too Close & Personal Space Social Stories from Happy Learners - There are two social stories here, one on being too close and one on personal space. Only text is offered here. No printable or visuals are included.
7. Personal Space Social Story by Brooke Ocasio on Teachers Pay Teachers - A 13 page social story with clipart and simple text.
8. Too Close, A Social Story About Personal Space by Miss Katie's Pre-K on Teachers Pay Teachers - This story uses clipart and appears to dig into consent a bit too, which is nice.
9. Freebie Personal Space Social Story by Seamless School Counseling on Teachers Pay Teachers - This story is available on Google Docs so you might be able to personalize this one.
10. My Personal Bubble Social Story by Miss Evan's Emotional Toolbox on Teachers Pay Teachers - This story looks pretty detailed and includes bubbles around all the characters so you can get a sense of how much space the characters need.
11. Too Close for Comfort Social Story by A Determined Mind on Teachers Pay Teachers - This personal space social story comes in color and black and white, as well as Powerpoint and a printable. So you might be able to customize the Powerpoint version.
Video Social Stories About Personal Space
Here are six video social stories (plus a song!) that explore and teach the concept of personal space. 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 videos aren't always great. But I wanted to make sure you had lots of different options for discussing and teaching personal space.
This one isn't a social story per se, but it's a catchy song about setting boundaries and asking for more space. I thought it would be great to include here.
Can't Find Exactly What You Need? Try this Personal Space Social Story!
Didn't find quite the right social story above? Don't feel like writing one from scratch? Sometimes social stories about personal space that you get for free aren't the way to go.
But perhaps this personal space social story from my shop will be just what you need!
Grab your copy of the personal space social story
