Birthday parties - like a lot of new social situations! - can be exciting for many kids, while, for others, they can be quite stressful.
Not knowing what the gifts are or even singing "Happy Birthday" might cause anxiety. Or maybe the food might be a source of worry for them. Or maybe it's the setting (e.g., a classroom birthday celebration, a party at a movie theatre, etc.) Then there's always the possibility of sensory overwhelm too.
Many kids find it helpful to be informed about what to expect when it comes to birthday parties. Where will it be hosted? Is it a party for them for someone else's party? Who will be there? How many people will be there? How long will it be? What time does it end? What food will be available? That kind of thing.
Well, that's where these free social stories about birthday parties can come in handy. They can help kids know what to expect, whether it's for a birthday for them or for a friend or family member.
Free Social Stories About Birthday Parties
Have you been looking for a birthday social story for kids? Then look no further than these birthday party social stories. 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 birthday party related 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. Receiving Gifts Social Scripts - Okay, not a social story technically, but it's still a useful tool for navigating birthday parties (or similar gift giving occasions). These scripts will give them ideas of things they can say when opening gifts.
2. Going to a Birthday Party Social Story from Autism Little Learners - This story uses colorful clipart and is pretty detailed. It discusses singing Happy Birthday, opening gifts, decorations, and more.
3. Social Story About Going to a Birthday Party from Social Stories: Power Tool for Autism - Here's a text based social story that includes one photo. It talks about going to a birthday party and talks about food, singing Happy Birthday, gift opening, and more.
4. My Birthday Party Social Story from Social Stories: Power Tool for Autism - Here's another text based story that includes on photo. This story, though, focuses on your child's birthday, not a friend's.
5. Various Birthday Party Social Stories from Positively Autism - There are five stories available here that use colorful clipart. The topics include having a birthday party, opening presents at a party, going to a birthday party, playing piñata at a party, and playing pin the tail on the donkey. Do people even play pin the tail on the donkey anymore?
6. Receiving Presents Social Story from Miss E's Freebies on TPT - This story talks about opening and accepting gifts, whether that's for your birthday or another event such as Christmas. This story uses clip art.
7. Giving & Receiving Gifts Social Story from Social Butterflies Club Social Skills Resources on TPT - This social narrative uses photos and talks about gift giving and receiving, which is important to discuss when it comes to birthday parties.
8. Going to a Birthday Party Social Story from A Day in Our Shoes - This story uses colorful icon style clipart. It talks about singing, the food, gift giving, games, eating cake, and more.
Video Birthday Party Social Stories
Here are some video social stories about birthday parties. You can use these in teletherapy sessions, social skills groups, classroom settings, and/or at home. 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. Or they might share weird things like putting butter on your nose in Canada, which, as far as I know, isn't a thing we do here in Canada...But I wanted to make sure you had lots of different options for discussing common social situations related to birthdays with your kids.
Well, that's it for the free social stories about birthday parties. It wasn't much, but hopefully they will still be helpful resources for you to prepare your child for their birthday or a friend's.
And remember, if possible, it's best to write your own customized social story so it's tailored to your child and the party they will be attending (or hosting).
