Is your child going on an airplane for the first time? Or maybe it's been awhile? Well, I know it can be overwhelming to think of everything you need to do to prepare for your flight, from packing to preparing your child for this new experience.
And that's where these free social stories about going on an airplane, airports, and flying come in. They are a great way to help prepare your child for an airplane ride.
These social stories talk about everything from checking in, carrying your luggage, going through security, takeoff and landing, and so much more. So let's dig in!
Free Social Stories About Going on an Airplane, Airports, & Flying
Have you been looking for a social story about flying on an airplane? Then look no further than these free printable airplane 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 airplane travel social story for yourself or 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.
Also, be sure to check your local airport or airline in case they have premade stories for you to download. Sometimes they do!
1. Going on an Airplane Social Story & Song from Project Play Therapy - This story looks really great and pretty neurodiversity-affirming. It's pretty detailed and uses colorful clipart with diverse people in it. By the way, the song would be great for gestalt language processors.
2. Going on an Airplane Social Story from Autism Little Learners - Here's another really detailed story that uses colorful clipart with diverse people.
3. Preparing for a Trip on an Airplane Social Story from Kidmunicate - I like that this story uses real photos instead of clipart. This story uses pretty simple text so it doesn't provide a lot of depth or explanation for some steps.
4. Social Story About Going on an Airplane from Social Stories: Power Tool for Autism - This social story uses a lot of text, but does include three color photos.
5. Social Story About Traveling on an Airplane from Materials for Autism on TPT - Another story that uses real photos to accompany the text. It covers what to expect in TSA lines, waiting, getting on the plane, things to do while in the air, and landing.
6. Airplane Social Story from Shelby Vigue on TPT - This story comes as a Powerpoint so it's likely editable. It includes a mix of clipart and photos.
7. Helping with My Luggage Social Story from SLP Phoebe on TPT - Here's a short story that focuses on carrying your own luggage at the airport. It uses simple icon style clipart to accompany each line of text.
8. Social Story: Going on a Plane from Emma Spink on TPT - It says this story is fully customizable and comes as Word document. It uses lots of clipart images, but does look like it includes a photo or two as well.
9. How People Fly in Airplanes Social Story from Carol Gray Social Stories - A great social story with full color photos throughout.
10. Waiting to Fly Social Story from Carol Gray Social Stories - Here's a super short story about waiting. It uses full color photos throughout.
11. Learning About Toilets in Airplanes Social Story from Carol Gray Social Stories - Kids might be wondering about toilets on the airplane so here's a story for that. It includes full color photos.
12. Riding in an Airplane Social Story from the Watson Institute - This story talks about flying to Disney, but you could edit it to suit your needs. Most of the images in this story are clipart.
13. Social Story: We Are Going on a Plane from Love Many Trust Few - This story comes as a Powerpoint so you should be able to edit it to fit your needs, especially since it includes a specific destination and names.
14. Airplane Trip Social Story from Party Through the USA - Here's a story that includes a one page visual schedule that might be handy to keep on hand during your flight. Both the schedule and story uses colorful clipart.
15. Airplane Social Story from Boardmaker - This story uses a mix of Boardmaker images and real photos.
16. Airport Social Story from Every Star is Different - Scroll all the way down and look for the link that says airport social story. While this story includes some photos, there are also spots for you to add your own images.
Video Social Stories About Airplane Travel
Here are some video social stories that talk about different aspects of flying on an airplane and going to an airport. You can use these in teletherapy sessions, social 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. But I wanted to make sure you had lots of different options for helping your child understand different aspects of what it's like to travel by airplane, go through airport security, and so on.
Preparing your child for their first airplane flight can be a bit overwhelming since there are so many things to talk about and consider. Everything from packing and boarding the plane to going through security and passing time while flying on the airplane.
But, hopefully, these free social stories about going on an airplane will be a helpful starting point for you.
