It's important to teach kids self-care and life skills, no matter the age. And today we're going to talk about laundry.
Ah yes, laundry...
Specifically, we're going to look at some free social stories about how to do the laundry. That way you can help kids, teens, or young adults learn the basics, from sorting and washing clothes to drying and folding.
Free Social Stories About How to Do the Laundry
Have you been looking for a social story about sorting clothes, doing laundry, and folding clothes? Then look no further than these free printable laundry 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 laundry related social story for yourself or your child or teen. Or you can simply use ideas from different stories below to write your own custom story (free social story templates here to help).
Creating a custom story will be especially important if you use a laundromat, hang dry, use dry cleaning, or anything slightly different, as those topics aren't included below. In other words, I couldn't find much in terms of free stories on these topics.
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.
1. How to Do Your Laundry Social Story from ASERT - This simple story talks about the basics of sorting, washing, and drying your clothes. It uses colorful clipart and simple text.
2. It's Time to Do Laundry Social Story from Kaitlynn Ferraro on TPT - Here is a simple and editable social story that goes over the steps of doing laundry. It uses clipart.
3. I Can Do the Laundry Social Narrative from Middletown Centre for Autism - Here is a simple one page social story that includes both clipart and real photos. It's pretty basic, but it could be a great starting point for writing your own. You'll also find some other laundry visuals here.
4. Clean vs. Dirty Clothing Social Story from AdvanceSPOT on TPT - This story talks about clean versus dirty laundry and what to do with dirty items. It uses simple clipart and doesn't look like a particularly detailed story.
Video Social Stories About Doing the Laundry
Here are some video social stories that talk about different aspects of washing your clothes. You can use these in teletherapy sessions, social skills groups, life skills groups, at home, 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 or they might be incomplete in some instances. But I wanted to make sure you had lots of different options for helping your child understand how to sort, wash, dry, and fold laundry.
I hope you find these free social stories about how to do the laundry helpful. If anything, they should give you a good starting point for writing a customized story if you'd prefer something more detailed and specific.
